Kariana Wyatt has aspired to become a writer for as long as she can remember. Since enrolling at Northern Kentucky University, the senior English major has had the opportunity to live out her creative dreams while building toward the future. Her time at NKU has been marked by self-discovery, community and growth as an artist, leaving her excited to see what life has to offer post-graduation. 

English was always Wyatt’s first choice for a major. “I feel like English, specifically creative writing,” she says, “celebrates the parts of my personality that I minimized in the past because I was embarrassed and felt like people would think were weird. But those traits are what have made my writing shine. I wanted to meet people who think similarly and are also kind of weird.” 

The reputation of NKU’s creative writing program—and its campus’ proximity to home—made attending the university an easy choice for Wyatt. Former high school classmates had enjoyed their undergraduate workshops, and the smaller class sizes seemed like they would provide ample opportunity to interact with faculty one-on-one. Early in her college career, she’d also learn how the more tight-knit program could help her connect with other students. 

In the second semester of her freshman year, Wyatt found out about Loch Norse, NKU’s student-run literary journal. 

“That was exactly the community I was looking for,” she says. “It’s really scary attending college as a first-generation student. When I learned that there was a literary magazine run by students who love reading and writing, I just knew I had to try to be part of it.”

Wyatt applied to become poetry editor in her sophomore year and held the position for two years before rising to co-editor-in-chief as a senior. The experience hasn’t just intensified her passion for reading and writing: “I've met people who I consider some of my closest friends,” she says. “These are people who I really love and care about.”

As an editor and creative, Wyatt says that her work at Loch Norse has helped her learn the power of revision.

“It used to be that when I wrote something and I didn’t like it, I’d completely scrap it,” she says. “But now that I know revision is always an option, I never give up on stories. Even if there's a story that really isn't working, I'll take part of it that I like and expand it elsewhere.”

Beyond her literary pursuits, Wyatt has held a special place in her heart for her local library. When she was a kid, the library provided space for her and her friends to hang out, using the computers and simply enjoying each other’s company. In her freshman year, she achieved a long-held goal by landing a job at that very same library. 

"It was just so special for me," she says. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm like, achieving a goal I've had since I was literally eight years old.'" 

Now, almost four years later, she still loves her job and appreciates the library's role in providing free media to the public, as well as resources like resume help and internet access.

If she could give any advice to incoming NKU students, it would be to not be afraid to ask for help.

“I had a pretty rough first semester,” she says. “Again, as a first-generation student, I was kind of clueless about how things worked, which made me paranoid and anxious. I wasn’t turning in all of my assignments, and I was sure my professors hated me. But all I needed to do was ask for help. Any time I’ve ever reached out to one of the faculty in the English program, they’ve always been willing to help me. There are so many empathetic people on campus who understand what you’re going through.”

Before graduating, Wyatt is working on completing her capstone project: a one-woman show. When it’s complete, she says, it will likely be one of her proudest accomplishments as a student.

“I haven't really done a lot of writing where the movement of bodies is involved,” she says. “It's been really fun working with that, and I've been proud of the images I've come up with to tell a story physically, as opposed to just using words.”