This fall, Yen Chu received a Student Research and Professional Development funding award to aid her in creating an undergraduate branch of Mimbres Press at WNMU. “An undergraduate arm of Mimbres Press at WNMU will increase opportunities for students to gain experience in skills like editing, modifying their own work, and getting their own work published,” she said.
Appointed as a member of the Mimbres Press advisory board in May 2021, Chu was tasked with spearheading the undergraduate branch with the assistance of fellow student Katie DeLong and under the guidance of WNMU Humanities professors Kate Oubre and Dr. Heather Steinmann.
“The SRPD grant was given to me because I wanted to give a couple of students an incentive to work with me as editors. Katie is my first ‘hire,’” Chu said.
As the ambassador-at-large and chief editor, Chu is currently calling for students to submit their work for possible publication and apply to become student editors. “I want to involve as many students as I can, because these skills are helpful in any career,” she said. “Undergraduate students can submit essays, research, and artwork they’ve created during their college career. All they have to do is send it to us through the Mimbres Press student submissions website by April 1, 2022. It’s very low effort to apply with a high reward.”
As the undergraduate arm of Mimbres Press kicks off, journals will be published online. “I hope that, in the near future, we will see a chance for students to see their work in print. Aside from it being a great addition to a resume, I’ve personally found that getting involved in the Mimbres Press at WNMU opens many more doors.”