Elijah Blasingame
Junior | Biomedical Sciences | EH 212
"Out of Fear"
Elijah Blasingame's essay "Out of Fear" explores the nature of guilt and grief with thoughtful and elegiac prose that examines friendship and loss in Amy Hempel's short story, "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried." Elijah's insightful essay captures the heart of grief in a friendship in the sterile setting of a hospital. He explores how humor, fear, and regret are the bedrock of this friendship as the narrator tries to make up for lost time and finally be there for her friend as time is running out. —Kerry Madden-Lunsford
Michael Davis
Senior| General Studies/History | EH 213
"Stephen Jay Gould: Poly-math Extraordinaire"
The final essay in the Nature Writing section of English 213 asks students to focus on a single nature/science writer and describe in detail that writer's distinct contribution to the genre. Davis's essay on Stephen Jay Gould is a masterful example of the form. In fluent and flawlessly written prose, Davis presents a survey of Gould's life and writing, offering the clearest explanation of his novel theory of evolution—"punctuated equilibria"—that I've seen in any published work on the subject. —Kyle Grimes
Maira Ejaz
Sophomore | Psychology | EH 213
"First Generation Pakistani Immigrants on American Education, Stereotypes, and Stress"
Maira was in my EH 213 class on Immigrant Narratives in Fall 2021. I am nominating Maira for her amazing analysis of vulnerabilities experienced by immigrants in Cristina Henriquez’s novel, The Book of Unknown Americans. In her nuanced interpretation, Maira considers the polyvocal narratives through which the author portrays the invisibility of the little known American immigrants from central America. Maira went on to adopt this perspective to create her final digital project on the immigration of Pakistani-Americans. The intricacy with which Maira approaches her subject matter and the perseverance with which she pursues it, leads to very sophisticated and engaging writing.—Aparna Dwivedi
Bessie Gaspar
Senior | Political Science | EH 213
“Aluxh"
Bessie was in my EH 213 class on Immigrant Narratives in Fall 2021. I am nominating Bessie both for her wonderful analysis of food as a symbol of hardship and fortitude in Cristina Henriquez’s novel, The Book of Unknown Americans, as well as her research project entitled, “Aluxh,” in which she traces her Mayan/Guatemalan roots through the immigration history of her grandfather. Bessie’s strength as a writer comes from her deep engagement with the subject matter as well as the ability to compose and express her thoughts in multiple languages and mediums. —Aparna Dwivedi
Pranav Kakulamarri
Senior | Neuroscience | EH 205
"Tuesday's Newspaper"
Pranav's creative nonfiction essay informs the reader by using an array of sensory details—sights, sounds, colors, and tastes—and carries an important narrative of his childhood return to India. Pranav weaves language and relationship beautifully: Here's a sample: "I wasn’t a fan of my teacher, so I started working on the balcony of my grandparents' house and asked my grandpa for help whenever I needed it. Within the next two weeks, I had learned all the alphabets of the Telugu language and how to incorporate them into readings. For more complex sounds, I had to learn Guninthalu." —Shelly Stewart Cato
Maria Mote
Sophomore | Management | EH 212
"When Coping Becomes Corrupt"
In this thoughtful and engaging close reading of "Jane Doe" by Susan Taylor Chehak, Maria expertly weaves in textual material to demonstrate how the protagonist copes with trauma and avoids responsibility by projecting their emotions and skewed worldview onto not only the reader but the entire state of Iowa. Maria thus demonstrates a strong understanding of both literary analysis and social-emotional character development. —Anamaria Santiago
Rashmi Nakkina
Senior | Neuroscience | EH 213
"The Expected Unexpected"
For her Justice Monologues project in our EH 213: Justice in American Literature course, Rashmi wrote and gave a dramatic-reading of a vibrant, and disturbing short-story called "The Expected Unexpected," which responds to the themes and injustices depicted in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Rashmi's Spark page combines her own dramatic readings of Gilman's story and her own fiction and also showcases her research on the medical injustices suffered by Victorian women around child birth and post-partum depression, all of which culminate in the creation of Rashmi's own effective and well-informed protest piece. —Nichole Lariscy
Areebah Nur
Senior | Neuroscience | EH 212
"The Unexpected Tale: A Lesson About Motherhood in Caitlin Horrocks’s 'Six Tales of Drowning'"
In her essay, Areebah keenly sifts through Horrocks's short story to pry the story's truth from the myths it relies on. By paying attention to the little details, such as when one of the tales departs from the promise of the narrative's title, she astutely tracks the protagonist's evolving understanding about the true sacrifice of selfless motherhood. I had the pleasure of meeting with Areebah to discuss the many pages of drafted insights before she turned it in, and I eagerly anticipated reading the final version. Few students meticulously comb through a text the way that Areebah did for this clever analysis paper. —Anamaria Santiago
Caleb Sanders
Junior | Psychology and Philosophy | EH 213
"The Queer Truth: A Fight for Equality"
Heartbreaking in its poignancy and clarity, Caleb's project is a clarion call for justice. Caleb's project responds to our Justice Monologues Assignment in EH 213: Justice In American Literature. Caleb presents a Spark page on the history of queer rights in American Literature and includes a short dramatic reading from Harvey Milk's "The Hope Speech." The page culminates in a 3-minute protest, a creative theatrical monologue in which Caleb depicts a young man ready to give up after coming out to his parents and facing the hostility against queer people in American culture titled "Six More Feet." —Nichole Lariscy
Campbell Smith
Junior | Psychology | EH 213
"'So this is death or that was life?': The Love and Humor of Grief in Lorrie Moore's 'Face Time'"
Campbell Smith's close-reading probes the psychological depths of Lorrie Moore's characters as they confront love and loss in our contemporary pandemic. She deftly constructs her paragraphs and textual evidence as the sturdy framework for her succinct, yet compelling analysis. —Cassandra Ellis
Samantha Smith
Junior | English | EH 205
"Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder"
Sam Smith created a braided essay for Creative Nonfiction in my EH 205 Intro to Creative Writing class. She researched stigmas surrounding medical treatment of obese persons and interwove that with the personal experience of being a physically challenged woman and mother navigating today's medical climate. Sam did this skillfully and poignantly with no room for self-pity or complaint. The tone and impact of her piece startle. Following is a quote from Sam's essay: "I wake up around seven each day, feeling like I was lying with bricks on top of me all night and put on my knee braces one strap at a time. Sometimes I feel like a cyborg when I do it, like I have an exoskeleton to readjust before I get to be close to human for the day." —Shelly Stewart Cato
Halla Stallworth
Sophomore | Neuroscience | EH 212
"A Short Circuit of Human Desire in Technology"
Halla Stallworth examines the bonds of humanity in her wise and powerful essay that explores the themes of technology, responsibility, and what it means to be a family. She inquires with thoughtful and wise prose the tenuous bonds that literally short circuit when the family robot malfunctions, and she in turn investigates the larger themes of failures in technology, cultural differences, parenting, and ultimately, loss. —Kerry Madden-Lunsford
Satori M. Van Cleaf
Freshman | Genetics | EH 213
"Knowing Yourself"
Satori was in my EH 213 class on Immigrant Narratives in Fall 2021. I am nominating Satori for her excellent analysis of immigrant identities in her essay, “Knowing Yourself,” and her extensive research project on knowing herself by tracing her immigrant and refugee identities. In the research project, Satori went above and beyond by engaging in primary research to trace the arrival of Jewish refugees on Ellis Island. Her ability to dive deep into the topic and take ownership of the material enables her to formulate and express her ideas in a powerful voice. —Aparna Dwivedi
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