journal Archives

Meet the Editor: Diana Dudenhoeffer

July 30, 2021 by Emma Bishop

Hello, friends! My name is Diana Dudenhoeffer (pronounced DUDE-IN-HAY-FUR).

I’m entering my senior year at MSU; my major is journalism and my minor is sustainability. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in journalism during my time working as an editor for my high school’s newsmagazine.

Jumping ahead a couple of years, in my junior year of college I held the position of digital editor at The Standard, MSU’s independent, student-led newspaper, where I also hosted the podcast Col.In and aided in the publication’s transition to a primarily online paper. Now I’m the editor-in-chief at The Standard, and big changes are underway!

Raised in the Ozarks, my childhood was full of cicadas and lemonade. I loved exploring the forests and streams near my home with my golden retriever, JJ. Now I spend my time studying, cooking, reading, drawing, and working at a local nonprofit called Friends of the Garden, where I work in social media management, event promotion and audio production.

When I don’t have a paper due at 11:59, I love garage sale-ing, practicing the ukulele, playing video games, reading comic books and watching animated movies and shows. I’m a cancer, an ENTJ, and I’m left-handed! I’m a big fan of the podcast This is Criminal, the webcomic Paranatural, and the video game Skyrim.

Women’s History Month: Meet Paige Nicewaner

March 4, 2021 by Mackenzie Knauth

To kick off Women’s History Month, we interviewed one of our very own members who has overcome barriers and is a fierce advocate for human rights; meet Paige Nicewaner. Nicewaner is a junior at Missouri State University studying Socio-Political Communication. She is an Associate Editor for LOGOS and also writes opinion pieces for The Standard Newspaper. In her writing, she often focuses on societal issues that plague oppressed groups of people, including women. In this interview, Nicewaner answers tough questions on her experiences as a woman and gives insight into what has motivated her through difficult situations.

Why did you join LOGOS?

I joined LOGOS because it seemed like a great opportunity to get more involved with the Honors college and learn more about the research MSU students were working on outside of my own field.

Tell me about some of your writing with topics that center on social issues.

Since high school, I’ve always been really passionate about social justice and politics, and The Standard gives me an outlet to express those interests. I’ve written about topics surrounding gender, race, class, and privilege and try to connect these issues to MSU students and give them a reason to care. One of my favorite stories I’ve written recently focuses on the term, “girl boss” and its popularity amongst young feminists. With the pandemic going on, many complex and systemic issues have been brought to light, so I think it’s important to bring awareness to these issues that have been happening for a long time, and that’s what I try to do in my writing.

Is there a particular woman that you look up to?

The first person that comes to mind is my mom. She’s outspoken and unabashedly herself. As a schoolteacher, there have been many times she has stood up to other teachers or the administration about decisions she didn’t think were right or just. She cares a lot about people, but never lets anyone drag her down or take advantage of her time and work. She pushes to make sure her efforts are recognized, and I really admire that about her.

Have you ever experienced sexism in academia? How did you move forward?

There have definitely been times where I’ve felt like my voice as a woman has not been respected or appreciated, unlike my male peers in the classroom. If I’m in a class or small group with mostly men, I’m often interrupted, and it’s much harder to make sure my opinion is taken into consideration. Banding together with other women and sharing our experiences helps me move forward and be more vocal to ensure my opinions are better recognized. After realizing that my work is just as impressive, if not more impressive than men in my field, I’ve been able to overcome some of the doubts people have of me as a woman.

Were you ever made to believe you couldn’t do something because you’re a woman?

People, namely men, typically question and doubt my ideas as a woman more so than they do with other men. It is assumed that women are not as smart as men, so for a long time, I thought my work would never be as good. After so many times of being talked down to and patronized, you begin to doubt your own abilities as well. After a long time, I finally realized that my work is important and impressive and should be recognized as such.

What advice would you give young women in academia?

As a young woman in academia, you’re bound to come across biased people who doubt your abilities before even giving you the chance to showcase them, especially for women of color. People are going to try and adopt your ideas as their own. Don’t wait for recognition to come; take credit for your work and stand up for yourself. You’re going to face scrutiny, some of which will probably come from yourself. Protect your mental health and give yourself a break sometimes.

Do you have any advice on how to deal with stress?

In order to deal with stress, I like to talk to my friends, who are really great at making me feel calmer if I am anxious about something. The pandemic has definitely made me more stressed out, so I try to find creative outlets to distract myself. I love painting, cooking, and writing; all of those things have been greatly helpful to my mental health while living in COVID times. It can be difficult to manage stress on your own, so I absolutely encourage people to seek professional help if they have the means to do so.

Meet the New Social Marketing Editor: Kennie Knauth

December 2, 2020 by Katie McWilliams

Hello, everyone!

My name is Kennie Knauth and I am the Social Marketing Editor for this year’s publication of LOGOS. I am a junior at Missouri State University (MSU) majoring in Professional Writing with a minor in Spanish. I am also getting a certificate in Advocacy Writing. Apart from being involved in the Honors College and LOGOS, I am a student worker for the College of Health and Human Services in their technology department, the secretary of the American Association of University Women, and a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma. These organizations have made MSU feel like home these past two years, and I am excited to have found my niche within LOGOS.

What’s your background?

I am from Liberty, Missouri, which is a suburb right outside of Kansas City. I have a big family with seven siblings. Having so many people in one house definitely made me grow accustomed to chaos, which is a skill that now helps me navigate my busy schedule. I have always had a deep love for writing. In my childhood, I would hoard all the paper, pencils, and binders I could find and tuck them away in my office (which was really just my closet). I continued to cultivate my talent for English throughout my years of schooling. As I did this, my love for writing continued to grow, and I knew right away my major had to include some form of my passion when it was time for me to go to college. This is when I decided that Professional Writing was the right move for me.

Many people ask me what Professional Writing is and what I plan on doing with it. This is a somewhat difficult question since this major qualifies me for endless employment opportunities, many of which I still have yet to explore thoroughly. Right now, I plan on eventually working for a non-profit organization as a writer that creates any and all documentation needed.

Here is a picture of my seven siblings and me.

**Why did you join LOGOS?**

I first heard about LOGOS my freshman year when I was living in Scholars House. I knew immediately that it was an organization I wanted to join, but I put it off for a year while I got settled into college life. I joined my sophomore year as a Peer Reviewer. Being able to work in a tight-knit group reviewing the work of other students was an amazing experience. I learned that it is important to first edit for content and to leave the grammatical errors for a different editing process. This was exactly the type of learning I hoped to grow in with LOGOS. Overall, the talented people within this organization and the chance to gain skills within my career path are the reasons I decided to join.

What do you plan on doing with this position?

There is a lot I hope to accomplish in my position of Social Marketing Editor, but there are specifically two big goals that stick out. My first main goal this year is to develop a uniform look for our Instagram account. Within the last year, I have become acquainted with creating presets in the Lightroom app. This is an application that allows you to make certain colors in a picture pop. Once a preset is created, you are able to apply it to any photograph with just one click. Last spring, I created a preset that I now use for my personal Instagram account. This preset makes red colors stand out, and makes the green colors appear more muted. Prior to my creation and use of this preset, my personal Instagram account looked chaotic. My account now looks very put together as each of my pictures contain a unifying color scheme. This kind of consistent look is what I am striving to achieve with the LOGOS Instagram. After hours of trying to make the perfect preset, I have created one that I absolutely love for our account. This preset makes red colors pop while making blues and greens less vibrant. Other than creating a more uniform look, I intend to introduce the majority of the LOGOS staff on our platforms. To do this, I am hoping to provide a picture and a brief introduction of a staff member each week on Instagram and Facebook. This will help our followers feel more connected and engaged to the people in our organization.

Closing

LOGOS continues to provide me with several ways to develop skills in my professional field. I am extremely excited to continue to develop our social media platforms, especially as reviewing season kicks into full swing. While the way LOGOS functions this year is a little bit different due to COVID-19, we are making the best of the opportunities we still have. We can’t wait for everyone to see our hard work.

Meet the Editor: Emma Bishop

June 5, 2020 by Maria Meluso

Hello!

My name is Emma Bishop, and I’m the new Copy Editor for LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. I am very excited about this opportunity, and I cannot wait to share what my experience as the Copy Editor is like!

A little bit about myself: I’ll be starting my senior year this coming Fall. I am an English/Literature major with minors in French and Technical Writing. With these, I would like to maybe work as an editor or anything I can get in the publishing realm. When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized it required more than just petting animals. However, I still love animals of all types. I’ve also been a member of the Missouri State Ice Girls for three years now, and this coming season I’ll be the President. I love reading, and although I’ve studied American and British literature, I tend toward preferring Brit Lit. My favorite literature course I’ve taken was ENG 340: Survey of British Literature I with Dr. Newman. Some of my favorite works include Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Thomas Pynchon’s Entropy, any of Langston Hughes’s poems, anything from Edgar Allan Poe, and Jane Austen’s Emma. (As her namesake, I admit I might be a bit biased about that last one.) I have had an intense love for reading from a very young age. My mom says I was reading—or, more likely, memorizing—by the age of three, when I was obsessed with Dr. Seuss’s Hop on Pop. However, despite this lifelong love for reading, I never really knew how to focus it into something I could make a future out of.

When I first started thinking about my future when I was in high school, I had no clue about what to study. I enjoy creative writing, but it isn’t something I was personally interested in making a career out of. Where English courses were concerned, I was mostly just in love with reading rather than writing. Obviously, this lends to the Literature degree, but I had no idea what I could do with just a Literature degree, so I was lost. During a tour at Missouri State I spoke to the professor at the English Department table, a professor who would later end up being my advisor! I mentioned my love for reading and an interest in the publishing process for books, and she told me that a lot of her students who went on to work for publishing companies were English/Literature majors that added a Technical Writing minor to give them a more rounded experience. Thus, here I am! Throughout my six semesters so far, I have also picked up a vested interest in editing as a result of my minor.

I took my first Technical Writing course second semester during my Freshman year. It was ENG 321, Beginning Technical Writing. This was where I learned how helpful my love of reading could be in editing. Through reading, I had picked up technical and grammar rules without even knowing it. I realized that I had a very strong intuition for what changes to make while editing documents, and that I really enjoyed editing. I was never able to explore all that English courses have to offer in high school; my Language Arts courses mostly involved required readings and writing themed essays based on the readings. Not that that didn’t prepare me at all, it definitely did, but it didn’t really show me all the aspects of writing and reading that I could be interested in. Taking Tech Writing courses threw open so many blinds for me! I saw how reading had benefited me all those years, and I realized that I could enjoy the more technical side of English. Now, I love editing documents and learning about formatting and style!

I’m so happy for the opportunity to see what working on a publishing team will teach me, and for the chance to edit the submissions we’ve accepted. Happy editing, or whatever it is you enjoy!

Women’s History Month: Meet Kathleen Sanders

March 26, 2020 by Katie McWilliams

LOGOS is proud to present Kathleen Sanders as the second feature for the Women’s History Month blog series. Her powerful short story, “Picking,” was published in LOGOS Volume 6 in Fall 2013. She was also an Associate Editor for LOGOS Volumes 7 and 8 and the Copy Editor for LOGOS Volume 8. Sanders provided lots of thought-provoking insight into how the intricate components of her piece continue to influence her own growth as a woman. She also discussed the ways in which her roles on the LOGOS team have closely connected with her professional career and beyond. Check out the interview below!

Bio

After graduating with her Masters in Writing in 2016, Kathleen Sanders joined Cerner Corporation in Kansas City as a Technical Writer. Now, she is a Solution Designer for pharmacy software. Sanders also volunteers with the Marketing Committee at Kansas City Young Audiences. Outside of her professional career, she fits creative writing into crevices of free time. Currently, she is dragging herself through the first round of edits for a novel. As she likes to describe the process, “It will only get better.”

Briefly describe the inspiration for “Picking” and the steps you took to create the piece.

You’re driving through western Kansas. The clock says time has passed, but everything more or less looks the same. Each hour seems to draw in the walls of the car. You look over as a sedan passes you. Two women are visibly arguing as the sedan speeds up. What are they so angry about? How must they feel? How are they communicating?

These were my questions while driving to Colorado, and I felt their tension snake from their car into my own. This feeling of tension, of pursuing a destination but feeling eternally far away, of emotional claustrophobia, guided “Picking.” This was the experience I chose when working on a literature assignment with Dr. Shannon Wooden. Side note: homework can make its way outside of the classroom walls!

Do you see relationships between women differently now than when you initially created the piece? If so, describe how.

I think girls are trained — whether openly or, more commonly, through subversive societal influences — to strive for the appearance of perfection, which can be threatened if others surpass you. This is how I used to view other women as well as myself. If they gained, I lost. If they succeeded, it meant I had failed. I see this fear in “Picking.” The concept terrified me, just as it terrifies Jody. She sees Meg’s engagement as a threat to her thin connection with her son, and she channels that fear into competition. This piece still resonates with me today because I know that feeling.

When I consider Jody and Meg now, it strikes me as tragic that they fail to use this time to understand each other, to build trust and empathy, and to offer the support each of them need to embrace their imperfections. Maybe the failure of Jody and Meg prompts us to ask questions. How could they have navigated this conflict differently? How would I navigate it? Moving beyond competition to meaningful communication takes having the resolution to be brave, honest, and kind. This is something both Jody and Meg lack, and at the time I wrote the piece, I lacked it in many ways myself. But we all evolve.

So, seven years later, how do I see relationships between women differently today? More and more, I see them as opportunities to mutually thrive. Our journeys, conflicts, successes, and failures are enriched — not threatened — by the women in our lives. I’ve practiced honesty, bravery, and kindness more and more because of the women in my life. I strive to emulate them. I hope to be like them for others. We learn from each other. We support each other. We must be brave, kind, and honest for each other.

Were there any challenges you encountered while creating this piece? If so, describe how you overcame them.

Plenty! I didn’t want it to be “hero vs. villain” because that’s not true to life. Trying to balance the sympathetic qualities of both Meg and Jody was challenging. Neither woman is perfect. Both make digs at the other. Both love Zach. Both are figuring out how to navigate the change this engagement presents. How do you make abstract conflict and emotions concrete? For me, I used the metaphor of the driving route to make the interpersonal conflict more tangible.

Also, this was the first short story I workshopped and shared with others. Just that was challenging. It’s always going to feel personal, and sharing it always comes with some degree of vulnerability. I had to focus on what I ultimately wanted more than approval — to learn and to improve. On that note, I found it oddly helpful to remind myself: “This is the worst it’s going to be. It will only get better.”

**Describe some of the skills you gained as an Associate Editor for LOGOS. In what ways have you applied them to your current professional role?**

Supporting LOGOS as an editor was one of my favorite endeavors during my time at Missouri State University. Notably, it taught me a great deal about collaboration that I still leverage in my career today. As an editor, you help coordinate the creation and publication of the journal. Each issue of LOGOS doesn’t just get slapped together in a matter of weeks. It’s an endeavor spanning over multiple months and organized by the efforts of many individuals. Initiating conversations, guiding discussions, and following up as needed are valuable skills in which LOGOS helped me develop.

Another crucial element of collaboration is asking questions, which I think is an underappreciated skill in the workplace. Knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them moves projects forward, clarifies communication, and facilitates teamwork. I often work with unfamiliar subject matter in my career, which requires me to ask questions…a lot of questions. My work as a LOGOS editor helped me learn how to evaluate content and to be comfortable with reaching out to others.

Does the work that you do in your career field relate to themes that are relevant to Women’s History Month, such as gender roles within the community? If so, provide a specific example.

I work at a large healthcare IT company, and I am so proud to be a woman in STEM! I’m not nearly as technical as many of my team members (so no, I’m not a software engineer), but I started as a technical writer. I documented the software and programs used by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Now, I work as a Solution Designer. I support engineers by defining how our programs should function. Working in this field has been both challenging and fulfilling in ways I never expected, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

Check out Sanders’ full piece, “Picking,” in LOGOS Volume 6! https://www.missouristate.edu/assets/honorslogos/logos_vol6_full.pdf