DJ DeLong
Creative writing and history major
College of Arts and Sciences, Marketing and Communications student employee
Western Michigan University students have multiple opportunities to gain experience and value during their academic careers. While WMU offers numerous internships, fellowships and grants, students can also expand to find these opportunities off-campus, like Spanish major and English minor, Alice Kinney. Kinney has been granted the opportunity to participate in the Nature in Words Fellowship at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings, Mich. The goal of the fellowship is to develop the writer’s creativity by deepening her appreciation of nature and the sciences and is rewarded based on the quality of the submitted proposal. The fellowship will allow Kinney to expand and explore writing.
Kinney grew up in Hastings and Pierce Cedar Creek had always been a part of her childhood. However, it was not until last December that she discovered this unique opportunity. She spent her free time thinking of creative proposal ideas. Kinney said, "I couldn’t resist applying. The idea of reading, writing and playing in the woods was pretty tempting."
Kinney will spend 11 weeks living in-residence with her faculty-mentor, Alisha Siebers, researching, collaborating and enjoying her natural surroundings. As her faculty-mentor, Siebers offer advice, recommend new areas of focus and guiding the revision process. She will coach Kinney through her writing project and to talk through options. When asked about the fellowship, Siebers said, "We have the potential to educate a wide audience." The project has the kind of interdisciplinary components the institute values. The brochure Kinney is designing is about the effects of nature on children that will help the institute expand the demographics of their visitors. Kinney’s final research on the representation of nature in children’s books will also benefit many education majors at WMU and other institutions.
Kinney spent several weeks working on her proposal and application. Although she had the help from Siebers, Kinney strived to go through the process of proposal writing as independently as she could. This process involved collecting signatures, prioritizing, selecting sample works, and creating calendars, tentative books list and budgets. Kinney said, "When I handed in my hefty proposal, I felt very accomplished."
The six parts of Kinney’s proposal included research, creating a brochure, writing and illustrating a children’s book, keeping a journal, completing weekly reading material, and committing to give public readings of her book following the fellowship. When asked about the amount of work she plans to take on, Kinney said," I didn’t want my proposal to seem stagnant. Each part is very distinct, but in a way they all flow together." By having so much variation throughout her time at the institute, she will be able to stay focused and intrigued in her work since it will always be changing.
The fellowship serves as a challenging, new experience for Kinney to improve her writing skills. She will also get the chance to discover new interests and talents. The opportunity is a great growing experience for both Kinney and Siebers. It also opens up a lot of possibility in future education for Pierce Cedar Creek Institute and WMU. At the end of the fellowship, Kinney will have a signature project that she can use to help her navigate finding a job and that showcases her multiple talents.
Both Kinney and Siebers encourage students to pursue this opportunity or others like it. Siebers said, "It never hurts to try!" She also recommends reading the grant proposal requirements carefully and learning all you can about the granting institution so that you can tailor your proposal to what they require. Kinney advises students to take a break from what’s wearing them out and when they’re able to apply to this fellowship or any other similar opportunity, do it, adding, "It’s worth the time and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it!"