Department Awards

2021

Greetings from the Department Chair

Louann Reid

Professor and Department Chair

Hello, and welcome to this digital celebration of student success. The awards ceremony is one of my favorite events of the year because we can publicly recognize student accomplishments and donor support. This year we are together apart. Just as in other years, though, when we could be together in person, I encourage you to pick up an appetizer or snack and a glass of lemonade or iced tea. Relax and enjoy the talent, achievements, and promise of the students in our community.

English undergraduates and graduates hold a total of 103 university and departmental scholarships and six literary awards for the 2021-2022 academic year. As a further testament to the strength of this student cohort, the English department has also selected 10 winners of the Creative and Performing Arts Awards.

This page serves as a virtual stage for recognizing their achievements.

I'd like to extend special thanks to the Scholarship Committee: Tony Becker, Christine Discoe, Kristie Yelinek, and Matthew Cooperman. Thank you to Sheila Dargon, who provided substantial support to that committee and helped arrange this celebration. Thank you also to Brennen Kaylor, who helped design this page to bring us all together in one place. I would also like to thank those who donated to any department scholarship in the past year. We appreciate the difference you make in the educational experiences of our students.

And thank you to the friends and families of our award winners who join us in this digital space and who have supported their studies over the years.

Welcome to all,

Louann Reid
English Department Chair

Graduate Distinctions

English graduate students can earn recognition for excellence on a final project, portfolio of work, or thesis.

Brianna O'Shea

Recognized for distinction of Literature Project

Katherine Smith

Recognized for distinction of Literature Project

Thomas Viney

Recognized for distinction of TEFL/TESL portfolio

Undergraduate: Creative & Performing Arts Scholarship Awards in Creative Writing

Fiction

Casey Forest

“The Senior Ocean Project”

Charlotte Suttee

“Choke Cherry”

Matt Campbell

Untitled

Kevin Cole

"Rough Shot"

Creative Nonfiction

Emerald Rawls

“Certificate for Indian Blood”

Alecia Seward

"An Algorithm for Pain"

Poetry

Paisley Green

“"molting months", "home", "Carcass"

Kobe Overby

"Asking for a Friend, " William," "Ode to the Sylvian Separphim," and “Proses”

Joshua Kellogg

““Grave Digging”, “Dumb Beasts”, and “Visitation”

Charlotte Suttee

"Smooth" and "A Saturday Afternoon”

Department Scholarships and Fellowships

Recipients of department scholarships and fellowships receive a certificate, inscription on the departmental perpetual plaque, and scholarship or fellowship funding. Current students select a faculty member to say a few words about them and to present the award. The following students received scholarships for 21-22.

Yong Woon Lee Scholarship

The Yong Woon Lee Scholarship is awarded to a new or returning student in the MFA program. An alumnus of the MFA program endowed this scholarship to support students and to enhance the national profile of the program. The recipient for this year is Sara Hughes, who will join us in the fall.

The Smith-Schamberger Literature Fellowship

The Smith-Schamberger Literature Fellowship is given to a new or returning full-or part-time graduate student in the MA literature program. The recipient is Trenna Cox who will join us in the fall.

Schwartz Hammond Fellowship in Creative Writing

This fellowship is awarded to an incoming or currently enrolled graduate student in the Creative Writing MFA program. Funded annually by an emeritus faculty member and his family, it is a merit fellowship based on the quality of the application and portfolio. This year’s recipient is Marcela Pajares-Berger, who will join us in the fall.

The Diane Keating Woodcox and Larry G. Woodcox Scholarship

Endowed by an alumna of the English department, this scholarship is awarded to a full-time junior or senior undergraduate major with an overall minimum 2.5 GPA. The student must have held gainful employment or have participated in a paid or unpaid internship and exhibit exceptional focus and determination as a student. Preference is given to a graduate of a Colorado high school. This year’s recipient is Sarahy Quintana Trejo.

Remarks about the recipient, Sarahy Quintana Trejo, from Assistant Professor Genesea Carter

Congratulations to Sarahy Quintana Trejo as the 2021-2022 recipient of the James J. Garvey English Language Scholarship and the Diane Keating Woodcox & Larry G. Woodcox Scholarship. Sarahy embodies these awards through her dedication, passion, and commitment to the Liberal Arts and English Studies. As well, Sarahy lives out the liberal education ideals, especially her commitment to empowering fellow students and citizens, in her work as the CSU Career Center Event and Planning Assistant and Branding and Recruitment Specialist, as a member of the English Undergraduate Committee, as a member of Las Comadres, and as a Larimer County Food Bank volunteer, among many other social justice and academic involvements. I offer Sarahy my warmest congratulations. She has a bright future ahead of her.

The O’Connor-Miller Scholarship

This annual scholarship is given by an alumna of the English department and parent of a former CSU student who studied electrical engineering, computer science, and string bass performance. The recipient of this award must be a full-time graduate or undergraduate student, or a part-time graduate or undergraduate enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts in the Department of English. The recipient is Madison Watson.

Remarks about the recipient, Madison Watson, from Associate Professor Tim Amidon

Each year, the O’Connor-Miller Scholarship is awarded to a student majoring in English. As a faculty member who has had the opportunity to this individual twice now, I’m delighted to announce that Madison Watson (double majoring in English with a concentration in Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy and Human Development and Family Studies) is the winner of the scholarship. The scholarship is named after and endowed by an alumna of the College of Liberal Arts and English Department, who was also a parent of a CSU student who studied electrical engineering, computer science, and string bass performance. I’ve had the honor and privilege of working with Madie when she first arrived at CSU within E181, First Year Symposium, as well as this semester within CO402, Principals of Digital Rhetoric and Design. In these classes, Madie has consistently stood out as a force for good, as Madie weaves careful and reflective critical thinking together with a sustained presence as an engaged listener and contributor in discussions. She’s a brave thinker and brings positive optimism and energy to classes. Madie is incredibly deserving of this award for a multitude of reasons. One of those is that Madie not only understands that literacy is powerful vehicle for increasing inclusion within our communities, but also applies this knowledge locally in her work as a student, volunteer, and campus citizen. Within her application letter, Madie noted, “a career that does not primarily function to support other human beings would be empty for me.” Indeed, Madie seeks apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities she’s learned at CSU to serve others. She does is doing this work at CSU already. For instance, Madie is actively learning American Sign Language (ASL), serves as the secretary for the ASL Club, and helps coordinate and host meetings where ASL students and members of the Deaf community can chat. Madie has also served as an at risk youth mentor within CSU’s Campus Connections Program, an office assistant within the Orientation and Transition Programming Office, and as an officer of The Knits of the Round Table, a group that produces knit wear for homeless members of the community. Moreover, Madie is an Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Scholar, a CSU Honor’s Student, a Dean’s List Recipient, and a Recipient of the Native American Legacy Award. In sum, Madie’s a valuable contributor to our community, our campus, and the English Department—please join me in congratulating her on this achievement: We’re so thankful that you’re a member of our community!

Dr. Tim Amidon

The Donna Weyrick Memorial Scholarship

The Donna Weyrick Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Donna Weyrick, a 1962 graduate of the Department of English. This endowed scholarship for undergraduates is made possible by contributions from the Weyrick family and friends. This year’s recipient is Hannah Prinzi.

Remarks about the recipient, Hannah Prinzi, from Judith Lane

At the beginning of our spring semester, a young woman in my British Literature class was working toward finding a focus for her Honors Option project. As we sat thinking about options, she wandered a kind of intuitive path through topics such as “teleology,” “a state of ‘becoming,” and “the purpose of a writer writing.” I was amazed at the depth of her insights and at the excitement she found in discussing various arts, especially writing…and in thinking of life itself as a work of art. I found, in reading her project, that motifs concerning “what it means to be human” were woven throughout and were always related to the subject of creativity. She became fascinated by the subject of architectural “ruins” and the way in which their presence is able to stir the imagination, to inspire, even comfort. Her reflections on John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn” suggest that, “Maybe it is our purpose…to participate in the sublime by leaving ‘ruins’—whisperings, shadows, intimations—of what we once were so as to inspire what is next to come.” I’ve been privileged to take part in Hannah’s creative journey. She will be a good in the lives of anyone fortunate to know her.

The Community Engagement Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to full-time undergraduate or graduate students who are majoring in English with a demonstrated interest in community service activities. It was established by Pattie Cowell, former chair of the English department and of the Women’s Studies Interdisciplinary Program, and her partner Sheryl Pomering, whose career included education and counseling for children and women in Fort Collins and Larimer County. This year’s recipient is Taylor Monteau.

Remarks about the recipient, Taylor Monteau, from Professor Lindsey Schneider

There are a lot of things I could say about Taylor as a student – she is bright, passionate, a gifted writer, a kind and thoughtful teammate who truly cares about her peers, and she is always eager to extend what she is learning outside the walls of the classroom. But more importantly than any of those things, Tay is an exemplar of what it means to be an Indigenous scholar: she walks with grace in two very different worlds, weaving together the teachings and strengths of her community with the knowledge and skills she has honed in academia. The Community Engagement Scholarship is a fitting recognition of Taylor’s commitment to serving the Onondaga Nation and Native people. Tay’s dedication to making the world a better place for Indigenous youth – from the ways she has stepped up to help with her younger siblings’ education during the pandemic to the work she has done with Native youth in the Fort Collins community – shows that she is not just capable of overcoming the barriers that face Native students, but also committed to dismantling them to pave the way for those who come after her. Nishiime gidapiitenimin!

English Department Legacy Scholarship

This annual scholarship prioritizes support for high-performing undergraduate and graduate students to finish their degree.

Megan Salazar

Remarks about the recipient, Megan Salazar, from Associate Professor Andrew Altschul

Megan Salazar is the kind of student I always hope I'll find in my classes. She is smart, thoughtful, well-spoken - and, most important for an aspiring writer, she is teachable. That is, she approaches her work as all good artists do: with a beginner's mind, a hunger to learn what has been said and done in the past, and a budding sense of her own voice. That voice comes through clearly in her work, which explores the emotions and ambitions of ordinary people – workers, strivers, dreamers, and grievers – with great insight and empathy. Megan says she wants to become a writer so that she can make an impact on the world: "to make sure no one feels like they are alone." From what I've seen so far, I'd say she's off to a very strong start.

Josh Navarro

Remarks about the recipient, Josh Navarro, from Esther Hayes

My beginning creative writing class, in which Josh is enrolled, recently wrapped up the semester with a celebratory reading of each student’s work. Josh chose to read from the end of his creative nonfiction essay about being a child and, for the first time, feeling that you—your heritage, your skin color, your existence—are the punchline of someone’s joke. And while each reading was captivating and filled me with pride, Josh’s reading stunned the whole class into silence. I believe that we were all so moved because of how Josh’s work is perfectly balanced between comedy and tragedy. He is one of those writers that can write a line that breaks you and follow it up with a line that makes you crack up at the ridiculousness of it all. Yet the humor is his work does not get in the way of the sincerity, as it does with many writers that are trying to be funny. The humor in Josh writing deepens the narrative, lifts it up, and makes the pain that much harder to hold. This is the natural balance that a graphic novelist needs—an understanding that life is always both hilarious and heartbreaking. And the duality of that is not contradictory and insincere, but complementary and true. I am very proud of Josh for pursuing his dreams and for all he has worked hard to achieve.

Vincent Brown

Remarks about the recipient, Vincent Brown, from Dana Masden

Vincent Brown is an English major with a Creative Writing concentration who I've been happy to have as a student in two fiction workshops. Vincent arrived at CSU after taking some time off school. What I remember most is that he was nervous about returning to higher education, as anyone would be, but that he took both writing and reading seriously and was always self-reflective and hard-working. I'm thrilled that he is a participant of this scholarship--Vincent quickly became one of the strongest writers in his cohort, proving that working regularly on craft is worth the effort. I look forward to learning what he does next.

Dakota Marin

Remarks about the recipient, Dakota Marin, from Michael Moening

I had the pleasure of meeting Dakota in a creative writing class and quickly learned that she was one of the most hardworking students I’d had the opportunity of teaching. She worked, if I recall correctly full-time, overnight, while helping to care for family members and still made time to excel as a full-time student. Dakota is a huge horror fan and her writing often reflected that, but it is so much more than that. She also focuses on compassion, on connections, on those human elements that we all long for. And this is reflected in Dakota’s character, too. One day after class, I asked her for some horror movie recommendations. The next class, she came in with a full page movie list, with comments, for me. She is the kind of person who can make anyone feel comfortable and welcome, she was always willing to stay after class, even if she hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before due to work, to discuss writing, movies, the state of the world, anything. She’s one of those rare people that comes into your life occasionally that you’re never able to forget. Dakota is truly deserving of this scholarship and I wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

The TEFL/TESL Scholarship

Funded by the INTO CSU English Language Program, the TEFL/TESL Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student in the TEFL/TESL graduate program. The recipient is Sarah Howard. She will be joining us in the fall.

The Cross-Cultural Understanding Scholarship

The Cross-Cultural Understanding Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding graduate student who has demonstrated a commitment to international/cross-cultural issues and education. The recipient is Elise Levine.

The James J. Garvey Graduate English Language Scholarship

This award is given in memory of Professor James Garvey. It is presented annually to a graduate student in their second semester or beyond in the TEFL/TESL graduate program, or a student in the Rhetoric and Composition or English Education graduate programs. The recipient must have shown a strong interest in advanced language study. Recipients of this award may be first-generation students. The recipient is Lauren Grande.

Remarks about the recipient, Lauren Grande, from Assistant Professor Ricki Ginsberg and Kelly Burns

Lauren Grande is a phenomenal student, and I count myself grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside her the last few years. She is insightful, smart, and driven. Lauren seeks to make the world a better place, and she explores big questions which offer great possibilities for curriculum and instruction. Motivated by these complex questions, Lauren designs lessons and units which promote deep thinking and reflection in students, and she critically reflects on how to do better and be better. Lauren is so deserving of this scholarship, and I am incredibly proud of her hard work and achievements in both her undergraduate and graduate work. Congratulations on this honor, Lauren!

Ricki Ginsberg

Congratulations to Lauren for this prestigious recognition and award! I have had the privilege to work with Lauren for the past two years in E401 and E402 and I have learned so much from Lauren’s tenacity, strong will, and deep tenderness. One of the most profound experiences I have experienced with Lauren was being present when she received sudden news about a family tragedy while enrolled in my Teaching Reading course. Watching Lauren work through her grief, while being immersed in her studies was awe-inspiring. Listening to Lauren’s story on this grief, and watching her process her life’s experiences through both private and public writing has assured me that Lauren is a deep believer and advocate in the power of literacy to heal us from the challenges that life inevitably throws in our direction. This semester, as I am listening to Lauren process her experiences at school sites and prepare for student teaching with a deep thirst for change and a seeker’s heart, I am reminded of what it means to move into this profession with hope, passion, and courage. I am so thoroughly proud to be her colleague and teacher.

Kelly Burns

The Judith A. Dean Memorial English Scholarship

The Judith A. Dean Memorial Scholarship was created in memory of Judith A. Dean, a graduate in the master’s program in the Department of English, and prominent professional in the English teaching field and the organizations that support it. Judith Dean earned an MAT at Colorado State in 1978 and taught at high schools in Colorado, Idaho, and New Mexico. She served two terms as President of the Colorado Language Arts Society, and several years on the Society’s executive committee—strong measures of her prominence in public education in Colorado. The recipient is Kobe Overby.

Remarks about the recipient, Kobe Overby, from Professor Paul Trembath

Kobe is a fine student and an excellent choice for the Judith A. Dean award. He is passionate and self-motivated as a student of literature and critical studies, and has the ability to see the larger social and conceptual implications of the critical and philosophical material he reads, as well as the desire to see it, which truly cannot be said of all students of textual material, even when they are quite talented, when the transformative dimensions of critical reading become threatening to our more standardized comfort zones--and never more than when we think that we are already out of the box, as we sometimes incline to think. It's always a pleasure to work with serious and hard-working students who are excited by the counter-intuitive edge of critical thinking, and who will take it to someplace other than habit, which admittedly is difficult for most of us to do. Kobe has the sensitivity to register the most explosive implications of critical reading and writing, as well as the patience to coordinate it in productive ways that allow research to grow and find a place to be. I am very happy that we are giving him this award; I know how much he deserves it.

The Ann Osborn Zimdahl Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded in memory of Ann Osborn Zimdahl, a 1981 graduate of the CSU MA TEFL/TESL program. Ann taught in the Intensive English Program and contributed to the international community of the university and Fort Collins. Her career also extended overseas where she held several different teaching appointments. Ann was strongly committed to cross-cultural understanding and enthusiastically shared her love of new cultures with her students both here and abroad.

The first award is for an outstanding graduate student in the TEFL/TESL program who is committed to international education and language teaching in support of the second year of study. The first recipient is Sarah Howard. She will join us in the fall.

The second award is given to an outstanding graduate student in any program in English. The second recipient is Eliana Meyer.

Remarks about recipient Eliana Meyer, from Assistant Professor Ramona Ausubel

Eliana Meyer is a writer of generosity and heart. Her stories—about regular people in hard places—are full of odd and wonderful details that always make me feel like I’m getting to see the world anew. Eliana worked as a TA with me in my Short Story course and her comments on student work were always insightful and encouraging. In the graduate workshop Eliana’s critic’s eye is on beautiful display—I always know that she will bring wise, clear-headed feedback delivered with warmth and humor. We are so lucky to have her in the department.

The Karyn L. Evans Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students in memory of Karyn L. Evans, an alumna of the English department, and is created through a gift from her estate. The recipients are Justin Frigault, Karissa Bohme, and A'reanna West and Jake Butts who will join us in the fall.

Remarks about recipient Justin Frigault, from Peter Stensen

It has been an honor and privilege to have Justin Frigault in class this semester. He is a dedicated student, hardworking, intelligent, and incredibly supportive of his peers. With a background of serving as a Marine and working at various US Embassies across the world, Justin has a tremendous work ethic, which was always on display in his assignments and discussions. Yet even more impressive than his high intellect and level of work is his ability to lead his peers in a kind, supportive, and inclusive manner. He embodies the CSU Principles of Community. I can think of no more deserving a person than Justin for the Karyn L. Evans Scholarship.

Remarks about recipient Karissa Bohme, from Associate Professor Aparna Gollapudi

A passionate warrior for social justice - that's the description that first leaps to my mind when I think of Karissa. Rarely have I seen such fire and commitment towards issue of race and gender equity in every aspect of a student's work in the classroom. From a Journal response on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus to a fine analysis of Hwang's M.Butterfly through the lens of Judith Butler's theories, Karissa has been consistent both in the high quality of work that she turns in as well as the activist spirit that always seems to inform it. It is a spirit that is much-needed in the world today; but perhaps what makes Karissa's passion particularly valuable is that it rests on a bedrock of rationality, civility, and professionalism. I am confident that Karissa will find significant success in her chosen career, but that success will not benefit her alone - it will serve the larger community as well. Congratulations, Karissa!

Department Awards

The Outstanding Literary Essays Awards

These awards, selected by the English department's Literature program, recognize outstanding critical writing and interpretive work in literary studies. Applicants must be registered graduate or undergraduate English majors or minors.

Undergraduate

1st Place — Natalia Sperry

Essay Title: “And I'll Write Your Name:' Performance, Sincerity, & Satire in the Lyrics of the Trobairitz & Taylor Swift."

2nd Place — Jesse Schaub

Essay Title: "Psycho Analysis: A Freudian Reading of The Shining"

3rd Place — Claire Homan

Essay Title: “ 'Whore' and 'Man': The Devastating Duality of Nyasha in Nervous Conditions"

Graduate

1st Place — Alick McCallum

Essay Title: "Then is Now': Buntin, mason, and remembering Northumbria's past"

2nd Place — Katherine Smith

Essay Title: “Uneasy Body: Mortality, Chivalry, and the Natural World in The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dam Ragnelle"

3rd Place — Carolyn Janecek

Essay Title: "The Endless Pleasure of Illegible Gender: Colley Cibber's Famous Fop Reimagined in Dorian Electra's Flamboyant"

Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Awards

Robin Walter

Robin Walter was a recipient of The Academy of American Poets Prize for her poem "What grammar for prayer."

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Department Awards

2021

Greetings from the Department Chair

Louann Reid

Graduate Distinctions

Brianna O'Shea

Katherine Smith

Thomas Viney

Undergraduate: Creative & Performing Arts Scholarship Awards in Creative Writing

Fiction

Casey Forest

Charlotte Suttee

Matt Campbell

Kevin Cole

Creative Nonfiction

Emerald Rawls

Alecia Seward

Poetry

Paisley Green

Kobe Overby

Joshua Kellogg

Charlotte Suttee

Department Scholarships and Fellowships

Yong Woon Lee Scholarship

The Smith-Schamberger Literature Fellowship

Schwartz Hammond Fellowship in Creative Writing

The Diane Keating Woodcox and Larry G. Woodcox Scholarship

The O’Connor-Miller Scholarship

The Donna Weyrick Memorial Scholarship

The Community Engagement Scholarship

English Department Legacy Scholarship

Megan Salazar

Josh Navarro

Vincent Brown

Dakota Marin

The TEFL/TESL Scholarship

The Cross-Cultural Understanding Scholarship

The James J. Garvey Graduate English Language Scholarship

The Judith A. Dean Memorial English Scholarship

The Ann Osborn Zimdahl Memorial Scholarship

The Karyn L. Evans Scholarship

Department Awards

The Outstanding Literary Essays Awards

Undergraduate

1st Place — Natalia Sperry

2nd Place — Jesse Schaub

3rd Place — Claire Homan

Graduate

1st Place — Alick McCallum

2nd Place — Katherine Smith

3rd Place — Carolyn Janecek

Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Awards

Robin Walter