Mark Olsen of Walden, N.Y., an MBA candidate with a concentration in Healthcare Management (left), and Elizabeth Hill-Caruso of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., an English major (right), took the top spots in the graduate and undergraduate categories respectively in the Mount Saint Mary College Writing Center's Sixth Annual Writing Contest.
Mount Saint Mary College's Writing Center recently announced the winners of the Sixth Annual Writing Contest for undergraduate and graduate students.
The entries were judged by Gina Trask, assistant librarian for Assessment and Instruction; Kate Burmon, assistant professor of Criminology; Elizabeth Harper, assistant professor of Biology; Peter Witkowsky, associate professor of English and chair of the Division of Arts & Letters, and Gina Evers, director of the Mount's Writing Center.
"As the contest judges...reviewed the 40-plus submissions, we were pleased to see such strong writing samples from across the college," said Evers.
In addition, the Mount's Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center aided in this contest through their sponsorship of the award for Excellence in Research.
The winners read excerpts from their articles at a recent ceremony on campus honoring them for their achievement.
Elizabeth Hill-Caruso of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., an English major who will graduate from the Mount in May, won the undergraduate contest with her essay, "How African American Gothicism Informs and Illuminates Racial Atrocities." Her essay examines the fictional works of two African American authors, Richard Wright and Jean Toomer. In their stories, these writers focus on lynchings in America during the 1920s and 1930s.
The judges were impressed with Hill-Caruso's analysis of the texts, as well as her use of historical events to contextualize these works to help readers "understand the true horrors of systemic racism," as Hill-Caruso wrote. The judges enjoyed Hill-Caruso's prose, noting that the essay is "beautifully rendered and speaks to its readers through an authentic, strong voice."
Nicole Pelton of Middletown, N.Y., an English major, received the prize for Excellence in Research with her essay "Cassius and Coriolanus: Tales of Defiance and Downfall." Her essay examines politics and the relationship between a person and their country in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and The Tragedy of Coriolanus.
The judges noted "the strength of [the essay's] original textual analysis of the Shakespeare," they said. "This is complemented by well-integrated research done in the style of professional writing in the discipline."
On the graduate level, Mark Olsen of Walden, N.Y., a student in the Mount's MBA program with a concentration in Healthcare Management, earned the top honors with his piece, "Policy Analysis: Deliberation of Virtual Health Care Visits in 2020." In the paper, Olsen analyzes how telehealth medical visits have been regulated and deregulated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The judges were particularly impressed with how Olsen integrated his coursework with real-life, lived experience. They noted the "immediacy and relevance of [the] topic, which was crafted particularly effectively in the abstract of the paper. The organization of this piece is also noteworthy, as the strategy is executed clearly and consistently at both the global level and the paragraph level."
Lauren Kennedy of Bethpage, N.Y., who is on the Adolescence Education track, snagged an honorable mention for her analysis of how motivation affects student performance in school. Through a deep look at two distinct studies, Kennedy concludes that through a combination of goalsetting and opportunities to learn about subjects that interest individual students, teachers can cultivate students' intrinsic motivation.
As the judges discussed this piece, they were struck by "the clarity of the writing. The essay's lucidity is largely due to how well it is organized. The writing also synthesizes and contextualizes the sources well, and this is one component of successful integration of research."
In addition to the annual Writing Contest, the Mount's Writing Center sponsors a variety of events for students throughout the year. The center's tutors assist Mount students in all stages of the writing process, including brainstorming and organizing ideas; structuring sentences, paragraphs, and essays; strengthening argumentation; incorporating research; appropriate systems of citation; and improving grammar and style.