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When Destiny Forrest reads a novel, she isn’t just following a plot — she’s searching for unanswered questions. She wants to know why an author shaped a character’s psychology a certain way, what lies beneath emotional exchanges and how fiction speaks to deeper truths. The recent University of Arkansas at Monticello graduate has turned a lifelong love of stories into nationally recognized scholarly work.

In the past two years, during her time as an English major at UAM, Forrest has earned three major national accolades for her literary research. Most recently, she was awarded the prestigious Benedict Fellowship, a $3,000 honor that will support her upcoming graduate studies. She also received the Ellen Millsaps Prize for her original scholarly paper presented at the 2025 Alpha Chi National Convention and the Alfred H. Nolle Scholarship at the 2024 convention for her research on existentialism in literature.

Her work dives into character psychology, emotional complexity and the philosophical questions that literature invites but rarely answers outright. For Forrest, research is both art and investigation. “I like the problem-solving nature of it,” Forrest said. “I look for scholarship that supports my argument but doesn’t repeat it exactly. I want to make my own contribution, and that takes some digging.”

Forrest’s award-winning research spans diverse topics but often centers on how characters relate to themselves and to others. Last year, she explored existentialism in Jean-Paul Sartre’s “The Wall,” analyzing the psychological response of a man facing execution. This year, she compared “The Damnation of Theron Ware” by Harold Frederic and “The House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton, examining how characters seek salvation in one another, a theme that allowed her to analyze emotional complexity across different literary styles.

“I like finding those moments in literature that haven’t been talked about as much,” she said. “There’s more room to say something new when you’re working with texts that haven’t been picked apart for decades.”

Forrest’s journey into research began in her first semester at UAM in 2021, when she took Introduction to Literary Studies with Dr. Kate Stewart, professor of English. The course encouraged her to move beyond assigned prompts and develop her own arguments. From there, a trio of faculty mentors helped her grow in different dimensions, academically, creatively and professionally.

“Dr. Stewart really emphasized close reading and paying attention to the text to build something original and thoughtful, grounded in research,” Forrest said. “Professor Sarah Bloom, my advisor, guided me through the creative writing process. She encourages writers to really listen to their work, be aware of what it’s saying and find the heart of the piece they’re working on. And Dr. Kay Walter gave me the confidence to present my work professionally. She takes students to conferences a lot, and much of the experience I’ve gotten with presenting, even before Alpha Chi, was with her.”

Dr. Stewart reflected on Forrest’s development and the strength of the English program at UAM, stating, “The English faculty grounds its program in strong content knowledge and provides students opportunities for growth in reading, thinking critically and writing. Through their work, our students distinguish themselves locally, regionally and nationally. Destiny displays one of the best examples of the quality of Arkansas’ public-school systems. She came to UAM with scholarly acumen and grew steadily in her time with us. Destiny shows great promise as a graduate student.” 

Dr. Steven Harper, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at UAM, praised Forrest’s journey as a reflection of the university’s high-caliber environment. “Destiny, like so many of our Arts and Humanities students, has thrived because of what I call the 'UAM Way': high levels of intense interaction with many different faculty mentors, an educational atmosphere that is both challenging and nurturing and a constant focus on creating opportunity. As an open-access institution, UAM believes that people have incredible capacities if they just have the chance to develop them. Destiny’s accomplishments are further proof that the UAM Way works.” 

Forrest’s involvement in Alpha Chi, a national honor society, further expanded her understanding of research. “What stands out to me most about Alpha Chi is the multidisciplinary nature of the research,” she said. “It’s not just an English organization. It includes every academic field. At conventions, students from diverse disciplines collaborate on a single theme, each offering a unique perspective. That experience taught me the value of thinking beyond my own background and approaching research as an interdisciplinary effort.”

Growing up in Monticello, Forrest was no stranger to UAM. Her mother, a UAM alumna, brought her to campus when she was young and nurtured a love of reading in her at an early age. “Even before I could understand the words, my mom read to me,” she said. “Reading and thinking critically were always encouraged, and in elementary school, I was pushed to write because I showed some early skill.” That foundation developed into a deep love for literature and, eventually, an incredible talent for academic research.

Forrest will attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville this fall to pursue a master’s degree in English literature. Long term, she’s considering a Ph.D. and a future as a college professor. “I want my research to help people think more deeply about what they’re reading,” she said. “If I can publish work that gets cited someday, that would be a huge achievement.”

Her advice to fellow students is to take initiative and lean into their interests. “Accept the opportunity to present whenever you’re given it. And when you get the chance to choose your topic, pick something that excites you,” she said. “That’s when your work really starts to matter.”