Freshman Writing Competition Winner Announced

Freshmen English students had a chance to submit their writing for a $100 prize in the English 103 Writing Competition held in April. The competition was open to all forms, from research papers to persuasive speeches and nonfiction creative pieces. They were reviewed by professors, edited by the student writers, and submitted to an outside judge, Bethany Eizenga ’11, for evaluation.

The winner of the competition was business and communication arts major Jordan Ghiglia ’17 of Wenatchee, Washington. His essay, “Family Business: The Influence of Family in The Godfather,” focused on the film while illustrating Italian immigrants’ transition into the United States.

“I wanted to do some research into Italian immigrants and the hardships that they faced in coming to the U.S. and how those hardships affected their behavior and family structure,” he said. “My family came from northern Italy in the 1800s.”

Mallory Blink ’17 of South Holland, Illinois, received honorable mention for her persuasive essay “The Negative Effects of Progress.”

“My love of writing started way back in grade school along with my love for reading. I loved being able to use my imagination, and I found that writing was one way to do so,” she said.

The competition allowed students to engage with their writing, and sharpen their skills. Professors hoped to encourage students to further develop their own personal writing style.