It was a night of recognition in the Old Chapel at the annual Department of English Scholarship & Awards Ceremony! Department Chair Randall Knoper kicked off the evening with a warm welcome before delving into the awards. Director of Undergraduate Studies David Fleming had the honor of handing out the Undergraduate Prizes and Scholarships of this year—and there were lots to give!
- Sanderson Prize: Jordan Leonard and Samantha Mahan
- Steinbugler Prize: Emily Ishak
- Charles A. Peters Prize: Caleb Coyne and Emily Ishak
- Class of 1940 Creative Writing Competitions: Poetry, Caterina De Rege; Fiction, Daniel Morrison
- W. Scott Jeffery Award: Anna Quattrini and Kevin Xu
- Cleo Zoukis Ploussious Scholarship: Isabelle Eastman
- Frank Prentice Rand Scholarship: Vanan Phan
- General John A. and Evangeline W. Maginnis Scholarship: Kyle Arena and Victoria Vazquez
- Mary McGarry Morris and Margaret McGarry Chiriaco Scholarship: Jocelyn Figueroa
- Mason and Susan Lowance Award: Tess Halpern and Mira Kennedy
- English Opportunity Scholarships: Kyle Arena, Michelle Chen, and Xi Wong
- Oxford Summer Seminar Scholarship: Rebecca Hetherson, Jordan Leonard, and Isabella Schroeder
Before heading into the MFA Prizes and Scholarships, student speaker Samira Teixeira gave a heartfelt speech about her experience as an English student here at UMass, and how it has helped her grow into the writer she is today. Following Samira was MFA Program Director Jeff Parker, who presented the MFA awards.
- Daniel and Merrily Glosband MFA Fellowship in Poetry: Amanda Dahill-Moore
- Deborah Slosberg Memorial Awards for Fiction and Poetry: Fiction, Mark Mangelsdorf; Poetry, Emilie Menzel
- American Academy of Poets Prize: Rebecca Valley
- Harvey Swados Fiction Prize: Mark Mangelsdorf
- Cara Parravani Memorial Award: Emilie Menzel
- Best New Poets Award: Hannah Bishop and Claudia Wilson
- James W. Foley Memorial Prize: Zach Frank
Wrapping up the evening was Graduate Program Director Daniel Sack to present the MA/PhD Prizes. Ashley Canter won the Walker Gibson Prize, Mitia Nath received the John Hicks Prize, and Maria Ishikawa took home the LeeAnne Smith White Essay Prize. From faculty and staff to friends and families, everybody celebrated these students’ achievements and their well-deserved awards.
Reporting and photos by Cayli Armstrong, Digital Communications Intern
