Mount Saint Mary College student Louise Goodman (right) of Brewster, N.Y., who is studying Psychology and English, received the award for best essay (undergraduate) in the Fifth Annual Writing Contest with “Incomplete: Enjambment in Poetry.”
Mount Saint Mary College’s Writing Center recently announced the winners of the Fifth Annual Writing Contest for undergraduate and graduate students.
All of the essays were written for Mount courses during the 2019-2020 year. The entries were judged by Gina Evers, director of the Mount’s Writing Center; Derek Sanderson, assistant librarian for Instruction Services; Elizabeth Harper, assistant professor of Biology; and Vicki Caruana, former associate professor of Education.
Louise Goodman of Brewster, N.Y., who is studying Psychology and English at the Mount, won the undergraduate contest with her essay, “Incomplete: Enjambment in Poetry.”
The judges were impressed by Goodman’s creative approach. The essay, they said, “is written with attention to the rhythm of syntax and creates a poetic voice that amplifies the piece’s argument.” The judges also praised the writing’s clarity in its explanation of enjambment – the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line – noting that a lay reader is easily able to understand the literary analysis.
Elizabeth Halpin of LaGrangeville, N.Y., a Biology major who graduated in May, received the prize for Excellence in Research with her essay “The Use of Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells to Regulate Rheumatoid Arthritis.”
“As a piece of scientific writing, this essay is exemplary in its execution of the formal conventions of the genre,” noted the judges. “The essay is ambitious in its incorporation of complex source material and describes it clearly to a reader with a broader scientific background.”
Victoria Veloz-Vicioso of Englewood, N.J., who is studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, received an honorable mention for her essay about her recent service learning project.
“The essay is exemplary in its approach to evaluating the service learning experience,” noted the judges. “The writing truly analyzes the writer’s service learning experience and arrives at specific and meaningful conclusions through that work.”
On the graduate level, Kristine Greco of Warwick, N.Y., who earned a master’s in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner at the Mount this May, walked away with the top honors in the categories of research and best overall for her essay, “Issues and Trends in Health Care.”
The judges were particularly impressed with this essay’s accessibility to lay readers. “The writing strikes a professional balance between including specific scientific terminology and substantiated research while discussing it with a readable tone and compelling narrative,” they said. “The research is notable for its breadth of source material, all of which is expertly integrated within the text of the essay.”
Andrew Peak of Hopewell Junction, N.Y, who is on the Adolescence Education track with a concentration in Mathematics, nabbed an honorable mention for his essay, “The Use of Technology in Mathematics Education.”
The judges said this essay is notable “for its success as a review of the literature and its potential to create real change in Mathematics education. The research includes sources from varied publications and perspectives, and the writing clearly informs its readers of the many different ideologies within that landscape.”
The contest was held by the Mount’s Writing Center. The Writing Center sponsors a variety 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.
The Mount’s Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center aided in this contest through their sponsorship of the awards for Excellence in Research.