Beyond the Wage Gap: What it Will Take to Achieve Real Economic Equality

As the daughter of a diplomat, moving between cultures and languages had always been part of her life. Josefina is a freshman Cornerstone student originally from Argentina. Her award-winning essay was inspired by her English 101C course with Professor Ooi. She was reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, and, while most of her classmates were writing about art, modern art, and aethics Josefina wanted her research to not only be something she was interested in but could also tie back to her Politics major. 

Initially, she wanted to write about the rights of women throughout history, a topic filled with countless perspectives and overwhelming amounts of information. With guidance from her instructor, she learned how to narrow her focus, transforming her original idea into a more precise and effective argument. The process taught her one of the most important lessons of academic writing: sometimes saying less allows you to say more.

Of all the parts of writing her essay, her favorite was crafting the counterarguments. She enjoyed the challenge of considering opposing viewpoints and responding to them thoughtfully. For her, writing was not just about expressing her own opinion, but about engaging in a broader conversation.

When she learned that her essay had won an award, her first reaction was shock. She had not expected to win and described the recognition as a huge surprise. As a freshman still adjusting to college life—and writing in her non-native language—the honor felt especially meaningful.

Through her essay, she hopes to inspire other students, particularly those who may doubt themselves. She believes that “no matter age or major, everyone should be thinking about this issue. Just thinking about it allows you to make small changes to help the greater change in society.” She especially imagined her fellow students as her audience and hoped her work would encourage them to reflect on the issue she explored.