Hello! My name is Erin Webster. I am a recent graduate of West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), where I received a B.A. in English in May 2017. Currently, I am a graduate student at WT, hoping to earn my M.A. in English in 2019. My major interests include writing and research.
My university experience has helped me to gain an appreciation for the Panhandle region by exposing me to the culture of the community. I am especially interested in how the people of the Panhandle interact with the environment and with each other, and how such interactions shape the culture as it progresses. Direct interactions with the Panhandle environment — conservation efforts, observation and study, and reactions such as art, music, or literature — ripple out into the communities we live in every day and help us understand each other. These interactions affect me as a person because, until I delved into critical and considerate study, I looked at my own environment as a place void of the culture, music, or magic that makes a place worth remembering. I am proud of the changes I’ve made in my mindset, and hope to immerse myself even further into Panhandle history and culture by pursuing research and writing careers in the area. This internship will help me get started with this goal because of its faithfulness to a sense of place.
