Department Awards 2024
Greetings from the Department Chair
Hello, and welcome to this digital celebration of student success! The 33rd Annual English Department Awards Reception took place on April 15, 2024 and I want to thank all who were able to attend and participate in our in-person celebration. The awards ceremony is one of my favorite events of the year because we can publicly recognize our students’ achievements and the generous support of our donors.
Across the board, English undergraduates and graduates hold a total of 183 University and departmental scholarships and 6 literary awards for the 24-25 academic year. In addition, the English Department selected 16 winners of the Creative and Performing Arts Awards. This page serves as a virtual stage for applauding their accomplishments.
I’d like to extend special thanks to the Scholarship Committee: Tatiana Nekrasova-Beker, Maurice Irvin, and Debra Walker. Also, thank you to Sheila Dargon, who supported the scholarship committee and arranged this reception, Elle Berzins for taking pictures, and Emily Dailey and Elle Berzins for helping with the set up.
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.
Congratulations to all,
Louann Reid
English Department Chair
Quicklinks
Undergraduate Creative & Performing Arts Scholarship Awards
Fiction
Cana Peirce
“Average Joe”
Ali Niaz
“White Ferrari”
Elise Humes
“Benjamin”
Lauren Frazier
“Just Remember the Shoes”
Charlie Beauregard
“The Devil’s Box”
Creative Nonfiction
Paris Huckaby
“Desperado”
Cole Zimmerman
“I am trying not to let you know; I want to be known”
Darwin Shire
“Following the Death of My Sister”
Izabelle Hood
“Garden of Memory”
Poetry
Darwin Shire
“Where have the Insects Gone,” “Burial Water,” “Holy Dark,” and “Gulf of Mexico”
Andy Parker
“golden shovel: dong xian to emperor ai,” “poem for a lover in red thread,” “stigmata,” and “portrait of man(go)hood as envy”
Izabelle Hood
“Drying Off,” “Conceived from Jazz,” “the Fall,” and “The New York Bird”
Grey Kittelson
“The Characters in The Tarot Card,” “Cherry Cola,” and “Watering Hole Obituary”
Dean Vance
“Recalled to Life, “You,” and “Eyes”
Mikayla Crotchett
“Dear Dad,” “Mourning Glory,” and “Falling”
Mae Ferry
“Quarter Sonnet,” and “Winter Walk”
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 24-25.
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 Madison Jett (MJ).
The Judith A. Dean Memorial English Scholarship
This 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 Madelyn King.
The Sarah Sandra Collins Creative Writing Memorial Scholarship
Sarah Sandra Collins attended Colorado State University in 1970 and 1971. She discontinued her studies in Psychology and English to become a CSU police officer, due to lack of funds and a desire to help people. Sarah was a profoundly honest and courageous person with great loyalty and generosity towards those she loved. Undaunted by difficult decisions in her work or personal life, she sometimes found herself enmeshed in controversy…an African American poetry writing police sergeant who converted to Orthodox Judaism in her thirties. She wrote poetry and short stories, serious and whimsical, throughout her life. The purpose of this Scholarship is to provide financial assistance for a CSU full-time undergraduate student and encouragement for the lifelong pursuit of creative writing. This year’s recipient is Izabelle Hood.
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 Zy Roberts.
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 recipients is Cana Peirce.
The Smith-Schamberger-Swinson 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 Jack Gibbs.
English Department Legacy Scholarship
This annual scholarship prioritizes support for high-performing undergraduate and graduate students to finish their degree.
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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 Anna Letova.
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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 Kale Hubert.
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The James J. Garvey Graduate English Language Scholarship
Anna Letova 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 Anna Letova.
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The James J. Garvey Undergraduate English Language Scholarship
This award is also given in memory of Professor James Garvey, and presented annually to an undergraduate student who has a documented interest and coursework in the study of the English language. Recipients of this award also demonstrate a commitment to diversity in education and may be first-generation students. The recipient is Dante Saenz.
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. There were a total of two recipients this year.
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 Kale Hubert.
The next award is given to an outstanding graduate student in any program in English. The recipient is Cody Reed.
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 Kylynn White, Braden Bomgaars, Nikash Kalechofsky and Isabel Blosser.
Kylynn White
Braden Bomgaars
Nikash Kalechofsky
Isabel Blosser
The Stephen Reid Award for Excellence in Teaching
The award recognizes the long-standing contributions and commitment to teaching of Dr. Stephen Reid, who taught in the Department of English from 1972-2014 and who is nationally known for his work in writing pedagogy. The selection committee chooses a prize winner and an honorable mention; this year’s awardees are Zero Marshall and Julia Marquez-Uppman (honorable mention).
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 Kale Hubert.
The next award is given to an outstanding graduate student in any program in English. The recipient is Cody Reed.
Outstanding Literary Essay 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.
Graduate
1st Place
Sarah Carter
Essay Title: “Sui Sin Far’s Mrs. Spring Fragrance as Heterotopia: The Effects of Narrative Plentitude as Seen Through ‘The Smuggling of Tie Co’ and ‘Tian Shan’s Kindred Spirit”
2nd Place
Sam Peters
Essay Title: “Stupid Sensual Things: Animated Bodies and Dance in Mumbo Jumbo and Waterlily“
3rd Place
Jamie Suto
Essay Title: “Make them known: The Nonhuman as a Source of Knowledge and Power within Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones“
Undergraduate
1st Place
Braden Bomgaars
Essay Title: “Reimagining Connectivity in Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones“
2nd Place
Tanya Sopkin
Essay Title: “Land as Identity: What Relocation Narratives Tell US About the Meaning of Land”
3rd Place
Devon Bower
Essay Title: “From Breast Milk to Infanticide: The Futility of Maternal Labels in Toni Morrison’s Beloved”
The Outstanding English Award in Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy
This award is for both undergraduate and graduate levels, and recognizes innovative ideas, critical thinking, and stellar communication in the broad area of writing studies.
1st Place
Madison Rheinheimer
Essay Title: “Public Perceptions of Lawyers and How We Might Positively Affect Them”