Natasha Helme graduates this spring from Northwest with her bachelor's degree in history and writing, and she is returning to the University to pursue her master’s degree in English. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

May 2, 2019

Faculty mentors, opportunities fuel Helme’s future

By Grace Niemeyer, communication assistant

Natasha Helme graduates this spring from Northwest Missouri State University, but the relationships she built with faculty are bringing her back to the University to pursue her master’s degree in English.

Helme, a native of Wentzville, Missouri, came to Northwest to study instrumental music education and stayed for the beautiful camps and the connections she made with her instructors. She completed her bachelor's degree in history and writing.

“They really, really do care,” Helme said. “They’ll push you to the point they know you’ll be okay and won’t overdo it. They’re really supportive.”

During her time at Northwest, Helme studied abroad in Poland and Germany with an undergraduate research grant. She was a member of the Bearcat Marching Band, wind symphony, jazz studio ensemble, symphonic band and recently completed an internship with GreenTower Press, a literary journal supported by the English program at Northwest.

Helme was involved in Phi Alpha Theta, a national history honor society; Kappa Kappa Psi national honorary band fraternity; and Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society. She worked on campus at the Student Success Center (SSC) as a supplemental instructor and tutor and at the Writing Center as a tutor. She will return in the fall to the Writing Center as a graduate assistant.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, but I really do believe that anything worth doing and worth taking up a lot of your time should be challenging,” Helme said.

Helme also was recognized as Student Employee of the Year for professionalism for her work at the Writing Center.

“I love the Writing Center,” Helme said. “Just like with the SSC, it’s been a challenge but it is so rewarding. I’ve been there for three years. We have improved a lot. It has taken a lot of really hard work and dedication from all the people there, but it’s really worth it.”

The German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., has offered Helme an internship, which she plans to pursue after graduate school. She aspires to combine her interests in history and English to become a composition rhetoric instructor, ideally at Northwest.

“All of my classes have been incredibly beneficial,” Helme said. “The way they’re designed, it’s not only just to make me smarter, it’s to teach me how to use the skills I learn in the classroom and apply them to whatever I need to do in the real world.”