By Molly Langhorst, CSC COLLEGE RELATIONS
CHADRON – Rebeka Scheiderer of Hotchkiss, Colorado, has been named the Project Strive/TRiO Student of the Month for March.
Scheiderer, a Literature and Creative Writing major, plans to attend graduate school for Library Science and plans to one day become a librarian.
With dreams of being an editor, Scheiderer settled for what she feels is a more realistic goal, while choosing a career that could one day help her to achieve her dreams of going into editing and publishing.
Growing up in a small town, Scheiderer said there were multiple contributing factors that fostered her love of reading and writing.
“My middle school English teacher had a library in her classroom and would give us extra credit for reading books from it,” Scheiderer said. “That’s when I remember my love of reading really starting, and I’ve known I wanted to do something with English or books ever since.”
Scheiderer describes sharing her love of reading as her main goal of being a librarian.
“I think libraries are a valuable resource for the community and I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid,” Scheiderer said. “So I want to give back to a community and help kids fall in love with reading as much as I did.”
Scheiderer feels her activities during college helped her expand her English knowledge and skills, especially joining clubs.
“I originally looked to join clubs to get more involved in the English program and work at constantly improving my English skills, but I realized there is a really great social aspect to it as well and it helps make English a little more fun,” she said.
She praises CSC’s English program for the community created to support English majors.
“I’ve made a lot of really great friends in the English community here,” Scheiderer said. “We all get to know each other and being in clubs, getting time together outside of class has helped.”
Both Sigma Tau Delta and Tenth Street Miscellany have helped Scheiderer in different English aspects.
“Sigma Tau Delta [a nationally recognized English honors society] has been great for me because it pushes me to continue writing,” Scheiderer said. “There is a great social aspect to it as well. There is a national conference in Denver coming up that I’m going to and I feel fortunate to have it close to Chadron.
“I’m also an editor for Tenth Street Miscellany \[CSC’s student-operated literary and arts journal], so I can’t submit any of my work to it right now, but I will probably submit some entries after I graduate.”
Associate Professor of English Markus Jones praises Scheiderer for her efforts in the classroom.
“Bek is a thoughtful, creative, and curious person. She has a wonderful sense of humor and keen observation skills that make her an essential part of the classroom conversation,” Jones said. “Her curious nature not only pushes our discussions in class, but it frequently spills over into office hours, where she keeps me on my toes by asking nuanced questions or challenging certain ideas in unexpected ways.”
Jones also takes note of Scheiderer’s writing talents and dedication to her work.
“Although Bek is an incredibly talented writer, she distinguishes herself from her peers through hard work and perseverance. Like any discipline, writing requires focus and dedication, and Bek works as diligently as any student I have encountered to achieve the perfect balance in her craft,” Jones said. “She ensures that the purpose of a project is not just personally satisfying but also well received by her audience.”
Chadron State College’s Project Strive/TRiO program, located in the lower level of the King Library, is an academic enrichment program committed to help students succeed. Project Strive also focuses on career exploration, cultural and social enrichment, and self-awareness. To be eligible for the program, a student must be one of the following: A first-generation student where neither parent has a four-year degree, meet low-income status based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criteria, or have a documented disability. For more information, visit https://www.csc.edu/projectstrive/.