Additional Congratulations

Writing Program Faculty Win University Teaching & Mentoring Awards

The Writing Program is pleased to celebrate several university-wide award winners this year - congratulations to all!

Anthony Wexler has been awarded the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The Carl F. Wittke Award was established in 1971 in honor of Carl Wittke, a former faculty member, dean and vice president of Western Reserve University. The Wittke Award is presented each year to two Case Western Reserve University faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching. Wittke Award recipients are honored at the Undergraduate Studies diploma ceremony. Read the announcement here.

Gabrielle (Brie) Parkin has been awarded the J. Bruce Jackson, MD, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring. The Jackson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring recognizes the positive impact Case Western Reserve University faculty and staff have on the lives of students. It was established by J. Bruce Jackson, Adelbert '52, in honor of Dean Carl F. Wittke, who served as an advisor, mentor and friend to Dr. Jackson when he was an undergraduate student at Western Reserve University. The Jackson Award celebrates faculty and staff who have guided a student in their academic and career paths; fostered the student's long-term personal development; challenged the student to reflect, explore and grow as an individual; and supported and/or facilitated the student's goals and life choices. Jackson Award recipients are honored at the Undergraduate Studies diploma ceremony. Read the announcement here.

Hayley Verdi has been awarded the Graduate Dean's Instructional Excellence Award. This award is given to graduate students who have been nominated by their departments as an individual who demonstrates outstanding achievement in instruction.

Brita Thielen has been awarded the Graduate Student Appreciation Award. This award is given to graduate students who have been nominated for their contributions that improve the campus community and/or surrounding Cleveland community.

Celebrating WRC Peer Writing Fellows

We are both thrilled and saddened to be saying good-bye to three long-term Peer Writing Fellows. Jessica Bumgarner, Jackson Rudoff, and Amy Yu have been with us for the last three years and supported numerous undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty writers during that time. Whether it was a medical school personal statement or help with APA citation in a graduate paper for the Mandel School of Social Work, Jessica, Jackson, and Amy were always there to provide incisive readings and thoughtful critiques of the clients' work. They leave off to exciting new chapters in their lives. Jessica will be going to Vanderbilt Law School for the Fall. Amy has accepted a position with Microsoft in Seattle. Jackson, the winner of this year's Consultant of the Year award, will be taking his outstanding writing skills into the field of political science. Thank you to Jessica, Amy, and Jackson for sharing pizza and light-hearted laughter during Peer Writing Fellow meetings and for always being willing to roll with whatever the WRC threw at you. You will all be greatly missed. We are so proud of you!

The Timothy Calhoun Memorial Prize for Poetry

This award is given to a graduate student in the Department of English, in recognition of the best poem or group of three poems.

First Place: Brita Thielen

Second Place: Charlie Ericson

English Department Undergraduate Awards (2020-2021)

Jim Sheeler
English Department Undergraduate Committee Director
English Department Associate Chair

Each year, the professors in the English Department’s undergraduate committee have the pleasure of judging some of your finest work, but we’re also saddled with the difficult task of choosing the best submissions for our annual English Department Prizes. This year we had another amazing batch of entries that I’d like to announce today. The Office of Undergraduate Studies is planning a (remote) formal awards ceremony and will distribute the awards for these prizes.

The list begins with one of the most distinguished honors: the Harriet Pelton Perkins Prize for “an outstanding student majoring in English” and this year was particularly difficult to choose a winner.

On behalf of the entire department, I’d like to offer our hearty congratulations to Jessica Bumgarner for earning this year’s prize — Jessica’s work has impressed the professors throughout her years inside and outside Guilford (and in the past year, from numerous Zoom rooms). Jessica will graduate with a 4.0 cumulative average and has earned official honors in English along with a minor in Creative Writing and a minor in Japanese. Congratulations, Jessica!

I also wanted to highlight — especially given the challenges of the past year — the achievements of several other graduating English Majors who maintained a 4.0 GPA in the department: Emerson McGinnis, Brianna Olson (both who also had a 4.0 across the university), Monica Hammil (who is also graduating with honors in English), Sammy Sizemore, Cassie Knaggs, Kevin Pataroque and Jahci-Perry-Richardson.

There are so many more students mentioned by professors who are worthy of recognition, and we remain heartsick that we can’t congratulate you all personally in Guilford this month. For those of you returning, we can’t wait to see you in person in the fall (and we are planning a welcome back celebration). For those of you who are graduating, you will always have a home in the big yellow house where you can find comfort in the words that have resonated with so many for so long, and share with us the stories you are about to begin.

The Harriet Pelton Perkins Prize to an outstanding student majoring in English

Recipient: Jessica Bumgarner

English Department Honors Recipients, Class of 2021

Jessica Bumgarner

Monica Hammil

Cassandra Knaggs

The Holden Prize for the best English paper written by an upper-class student

First Place: Reagan Amato

Second Place: Aparna Paul

The Emily M. Hills Award for the best poem or essay written by a woman in the College of Arts and Sciences

First Place poetry: Cassandra Knaggs

First Place essay: Zoe Swenson

The Edith Garber Krotinger Prize for excellence in creative writing

First Place: Josephine Schelling

The Finley Foster/Emily M. Hills Poetry Prize for the best poem or group of poems

First Place (tie): Jo Goykhberg

First Place (tie): Kevin Pataroque

Second Place: Nicole LaReddola

Third Place (tie): David Chang

Third Place (tie): Kytana Maldonado

The Helen B. Sharnoff Award for formal poetry submitted by undergraduate students

First Place: Jo Goykhberg

Second Place: Cassandra Knaggs

The Karl Lemmerman Prize for the best paper by a first year student

First Place: Aman Kapoor

Second Place: Yiwen Gao

Third Place: Maggie Bounds

The Eleanor Leuser Award for outstanding writing for or about children by a student enrolled in a creative writing course at the university

First Place: Reagan Amato

Second Place: Adam Benjamin

The Arnaud Gelb Journalism Award for best nonfiction story under 500 words

First Place: Veronica Madell

Second Place: Christopher Markham

Third Place: Aparna Paul

The Arnaud Gelb Journalism Award for the best nonfiction story over 500 words

First Place: ­­Hannah Allen

Second Place: Jordan Reif

Third Place: David Chang

The Arnaud Gelb Journalism Award for best sports story

First Place: David Chang

The Nemet Scholarship for demonstration of excellence in creative writing

Adriana Feliciano

Louden Keihl

Eleanor Paskus

Jane Venezia

KnowEl Willhight