English and Philosophy Announces Annual English Scholarship Recipients

Mason Wissert, a junior majoring in English / Creative Writing, has been awarded the Agnes Just Reid Memorial Scholarship for the second year in a row. This highly competitive scholarship is awarded to students in creative writing. Ms. Wissert goes from strength to strength as writer of realistic short stories as her submission “Once, A Man Like You” reveals, a brutally honest portrayal of a troubled relationship. Ms. Wissert is a first-generation student with a 4.0 GPA in her Honors coursework. She is receiving further support through the College of Arts and Letters Gala Scholarship Fund.

The Charles Kegel Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Aubrey Bower, who is finishing her first year in the English Creative Writing program. The Kegel Scholarship is awarded to students who show particular skill in literary analysis. The scholarship committee was especially impressed by her analysis of Shelley’s poem, “Ode to the West Wind,” a sensitive and sympathetic reading of the speaker’s “reverence and admiration for the wild volatility the wind yields.” 

Jessa Briggs has received the Price L. Lassahn-Worrell Scholarship in English, awarded annually to a who has demonstrated scholastic achievement and an ability to overcome personal hardship. Professor Bethany Schultz Hurst wrote glowingly in support of Ms. Briggs’ application, referring to her academic range, independence, and conscientiousness. Ms. Briggs is pursuing a double major in English and Global Studies. She has spent the past year studying abroad at the University of Plymouth in the U.K.

Audrey Hansen receives two scholarships: the Jay G. and Mary Donna Jensen Scholarship and the John D. and Marilyn B. Henderson Scholarship. Ms. Hansen is doing an honors degree in English with literary focus and theatre minor. Ms. Hansen has continued to hold a 4.0 GPA. Active in many roles across campus, she is currently working with Dr. Jessica Winston on a research project involving mid-century radio productions of Shakespeare.

In addition, the department was able to award scholarships to two further students, Lindi Dice and Gabrielle Taylor, through the College of Arts and Letters Gala Scholarship Fund. Both students are show promise as new students in the English program.

Each year, the Scholarship Committee in the Department of English and Philosophy gathers student submissions to the Bengal Online Scholarship System, and reviews dozens of applications from current English students, who specialize in Literature, Creative Writing, Professional Writing, and Education.