In order to recognize student achievement and to motivate students to improve their communication skills, the Program in Writing and Communication offers awards with cash prizes for the most outstanding expository and analytical essays and oral presentations each academic year. Congratulations to our winners!
Srinidhi Srikalyani, First Place, Best Oral Presentation
“Political Puppetry: How Social Media and Fake News Pull the Strings” view presentation
FWIS 165: Mediation, Fake News, and Democracy
Srinidhi Srikalyani is a student at Duncan College, hailing from Katy, Texas. In her presentation, she describes the impact that misleading information on the social media platform X (previously known as Twitter) had on the 2016 presidential election. Through her research, Srinidhi was able to discover which demographics are most affected by fake news, along with where such sources tend to originate from. Upon her findings, she also sought ways to mitigate fake news exposure going forward, an especially important discussion in light of the upcoming 2024 election.
Sophie Valbrune, Second Place, Best Oral Presentation
“DC Statehood: The 51st State” view presentation
FWIS 168: Case Studies of Building Design Problems
Sophie Valbrune is originally from Washington DC and calls Jones College home. In senior year of high school, she took a history course about DC history and culture which inspired her DC Statehood presentation. Through creating the presentation, she furthered her knowledge of the DC administrative process, and found the topic of shadow senators especially intriguing.
Wenshi Chen, First Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
“Cracking the Musical Code: A Study of Algorave" read essay
FWIS 237: Popular Music and American Culture
Wenshi Chen is a sophomore at Hanszen College studying Musicology and Science & Technology Studies. With a deep passion for music, history, and technology, she is captivated by how these fields intersect, seeking to bridge the gap between the performing arts and modern technology. Her interest in the innovative musical movement known as Algorave began after a conversation with R. Tyler, a San Francisco-based algorave musician. Inspired by Algorave’s unique blend of live coding music, visual effect, and cultural expression, Wenshi’s research explores its historical roots, performance practices, and social significance. In her essay, she uses the coding structure of the live-coding software Sonic Pi to format each section, with its distinct color coding reflecting the dynamic interplay between musical elements and algorithmic instructions.
Shoham De, Second Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
“Locating the Qiang in Time and Space" read essay
FWIS 286: Minorities and Subcultures in Southeast Asia
Shoham De is a sophomore at Hanszen College majoring in Physics and Materials Science. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand. Having grown up immersed in Southeast and Eastern Asian cultures as a racial minority, Shoham grew to appreciate the intra-diversity of the region. His essay challenges the myth of East Asian cultural and racial homogeneity by exploring scholarship on the history of the Qiang minority in China.
Maria Teresa Morgado, Third Place, Best Expository and Analytical Essay
"Creating Authenticity: The Paradox of the Personal Essay" read essay
FWIS 151: Making Sense of Ourselves
Maria Teresa Morgado is from Tallahassee, Florida and a sophomore at McMurtry College. Reading many personal essays in class, she was intrigued by the apparent obstacles to authenticity found in the genre’s writing process. How can you portray the intricacies of your own mind, as if peering in from outside? How can you be authentic while deliberately crafting your thoughts on paper for an audience? Gathering insights from various personal essayists and their works, Maria Teresa’s essay explores how the personal essay is an authentic piece of writing, despite the inherent lack of objectivity in self-portrayal, and serves as a medium for us to grapple with the complexities of our own minds and the commonalities of the human experience.