Winners of Annual English Graduate Student Teaching Awards Announced

The winner of the Ph.D. award is Ph.D. candidate Jessica Woolley. A first-generation student, who grew up in Wales, Ms. Woolley earned her B.A. at University of Chester (Chester, UK) and her M.A. in English at Washington State University, where she first gained experience teaching ENGL 1101. At ISU, Ms. Woolley has taught courses in first-year writing and in technical and professional communication. The committee commended Ms. Woolley’s many strengths, including her deep commitment to students. Ms. Woolley is currently completing a dissertation on representations of motherhood in twentieth-century Global Anglophone novels, under the direction of Professor Alan Johnson. The committee also recognized Ph.D. candidate Paul Williams with an honorable mention.

The winner of the M.A. award is Gretchen Rowe. Originally from Livermore, CO, Ms. Rowe earned her B.A. in English from BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, ID, where she first gained experience teaching through a Teaching Assistantship. Before joining the M.A. program at ISU, she developed further experience as a Study Skills Specialist in Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25. Ms. Rowe is currently completing her M.A. project, "An Environment for Learning: Finding a Place for Outdoor Learning in Composition Courses,” under the supervision of Professor Margaret Johnson. The committee commended Ms. Rowe’s innovative teaching methods, which involve connecting students to place and landscape. The committee also recognized M.A. student Hannah Schaak with an honorable mention.

The Department of English and Philosophy has three graduate programs, a Ph.D. in English and the Teaching of English, and M.A. in English, and a graduate certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. More information about these programs is available on the English website, isu.edu/English.