Writing Awards

"How you must cry to see your children trample, like a conquering army, through the home you have left for us. I can only imagine the pain you must feel when bulldozers scar and fires scorch your weathered hide. I can only conclude that it is because of your tender love, the love that only a parent can give, that allows you to forgive our feeble ways."

-Julie M. Gramazio, 2019 Winner for the Service-Learning category

Letter to Mother Earth

"Through empathetic connection with others, the boundaries that are created through displacement of emotion are broken and crossed. The movement towards others allows for real agency to be created. Literature has proven to be an emotional trigger, and therefore in a society that condemns and suppresses emotion, literature remains a threat to governmental control."

-Hannah Noel Johnson, 2019 Winner for the Graduate Academic category

Agency through Emotion: Exploring the Role of Empathy within the Political Sphere in Allende’s Of Love and Shadows and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451

"Phone calls started the moment I got in the car and hadn’t stopped since. There was no lapse between them to block his number. Finally, after hours of buzzing and buzzing, it stopped. Fifty-one missed calls. “Hey. I just read your letter. I just want to say. I think you’re making a mistake, I think you should think about it a little more. I really like what we have going. I’ll respect what you want, I’ll give you your distance, just- just call me, please. Okay? Please just call me. I’m gonna call you again.”"

-Emma Sullivan, 2019 Runner-up for the Creative non-fiction category

Fifty-One

"We played to the growing grass and the falling mosquitos. Insects buzzed and chirped as if they were percussionists themselves. The ensemble breathed, moved, and functioned as a whole, one unit sewn together through the beats and rhythms. But how did we perform underneath the light of the moon? The music performed itself."

-Shelby Jackson, 2019 Runner-up for the Poetry category

A Night’s Serenade

"There is still very little known about the interaction of genes and the environment that underlies the development of behavior. Awareness of suggested interaction between genes and the environment, such as what was seen in Marler’s experimental research on birdsong development, may evoke interest for further research on these interactions... The development of this concept is imperative for the continual growth of ethology."

-Brielle Bickford, Julie Mankowski, Kellie Pernula, 2018 Winners for Natural Science & mathematics category

The Research Career of Peter Marler: Deciphering Birdsong Development in Context of the Nature vs Nurture Debate

"In order to empower ELLs who already face so many struggles within their family life, programs need to be developed to meet the underserved communities rather than trying to force them into a self-degrading mindset…America desires to be innovative and cutting edge by attracting skilled workers around the world, but misses out on developing its own population. Each individual is uniquely capable of making a lasting positive impact on the world if provided with opportunities rather than roadblocks."

-Danielle Quina, 2018 winner for Education category

Sustainable Education for ELLs [English-Language learners]