Student Awards

University Awards

Mehra Gharibian College of Liberal Arts Senior Recognition Award for Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the University — Mehra Gharibian Naomi Catterlin College of Liberal Arts Senior Recognition Award for Contributions to the Objectives and Public Image of the College – Naomi Catterlin

College of Liberal Arts Awards

Abigail Johnson English Department Outstanding Senior — Abigail Johnson
A double major in English and music, Johnson recognized Debora Schwartz as her faculty mentor. This fall she will attend Oxford University to pursue graduate work in medieval studies.
Savannah Pignatelli English Department Outstanding Graduate Student — Savannah Pignatelli
Pignatelli recognized Debora Schwartz as her faculty mentor. This fall she begins teaching in the English Department.

 
Taylor Steinbeck College of Liberal Arts Club Council Student of the Year — Taylor Steinbeck
 
   

Department Awards

Jacquelyn Morris The American Scholar Prize
This award, created by former English Department Chair and College of Liberal Arts Dean Linda Halisky, recognizes an English major whose passion for literature is palpable. The $500 prize is awarded to an English major who exhibits an interest in literature and language — someone who is “lit up” by literature. This year’s recipient is Jacquelyn Morris, a third-year student from Northridge, Calif.

In Morris’ winning essay she writes that “the voices of authors and characters whisper further than the page. The empathy that literature teaches me guides me in my real life by enhancing my ability to understand perspectives that differ from my own.” Her essay demonstrates that she understands the timelessness of literature and its ability to help us understand the human condition.

Molly Canfield and Madison Utley Dorothy Cooper Memorial Scholarship
The English Department is pleased to announce the first three recipients of the Dorothy Cooper Memorial Scholarship for study abroad. English majors Molly Canfield and Madison Utley join animal science major/English minor Katherine Miller in winning $1,000 scholarships to help support their study abroad experiences. Canfield and Utley traveled to London this summer through Cal Poly’s London Study program, and Miller will study at Massey University in New Zealand this fall.

The Dorothy Cooper Memorial Scholarship is named for the grandmother of a Cal Poly English alumna. Cooper longed to travel — to learn about new people and cultures — but was never able to afford it. The donors, Susan M. Birkenseer (English, ’81) and James J. Birkenseer (Graphic Communication, ’81), hope this scholarship helps students with financial need achieve their dreams of studying abroad. In this way, they hope to honor Dorothy Cooper by enriching students’ lives through travel.

  Graduate Program Awards
Our graduate program continued its tradition of bestowing its own awards for excellence in the graduate program. This year's Outstanding Achievement Award was given to two students, Eric Liewald and Savannah Pignatelli. Additionally, Sarah Wishnewsky won the English Department’s Graduate Teaching Associate Award for Excellence in Teaching.
 

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