The English Department is accepting student applications for $350 worth of scholarships.
Students applying for these scholarships must be a declared English major and provide proof of graduating or transferring in spring 2017. Three winners will be announced and first place will win $200, second place $100 and third $50.
English Professor Marra Kraemer said that what they look for in an award-winning paper is a solid academic essay that has an original and unique voice.
“What we are looking for is originality, content, structure and format—we are only looking at the essay and at what they can do on paper,” Kraemer said. “Last year’s submissions were really good. They displayed really solid academic essay structure, but still had an original unique voice, and that is what we are looking for.”
According to the 2017 English Department Scholarship, applicants must also submit a paper in MLA format, of any length, from an English class at Pierce College during the past academic year.
They must also include a cover page with their name, identification number and email address.
Applicants must submit their work to Kraemer’s faculty mailbox (#630) by Friday, May 26, 2017. Those interested in applying must follow these requirements to be considered.
Kraemer said they hope to reward this scholarship to a student who is a continuing English major.
“We are looking to reward students who are passionate about English and who work hard,” Kraemer said. “We want to encourage English majors, because they are so few now and it is such a labor of love. People go into the English major because they love literature, love writing, and we really want to encourage them. That is what brought us joy in our careers and we want to encourage that in others.”
English Department Chair Donna Accardo said that the reason why many students do not know about this scholarship is because professors used to personally recommend outstanding students for this scholarship opportunity.
“We used to ask professors to let us know about outstanding students in their classrooms that would possibly be interested in applying for this scholarship,” Accardo said. “However, we then decided to change that and open it up for more students in hopes to get this scholarship more known.”
According to Kraemer, this scholarship has been available for a long time and is funded by the English professors at Pierce College.
“Our English department has been doing this scholarship since 1988, and the English professors themselves are the ones who all donate $20,” Kraemer said.
Accardo thinks that by each professor donating $20 out of their account, they are not only opening a door of opportunities for them, but also investing in the future of these English majors.
“I believe that we are investing in the future of these English majors,” Accardo said.
“It is a great way for English majors to recognize and confirm their abilities and keep on encouraging them in their career.”
Film major Nicholas Sani said this scholarship is a great opportunity for graduating and transferring English majors.
“I think this scholarship is a great opportunity for English majors, because it is almost as if it were a test to show how skilled of an English major they are,” Sani said. “I also really like how there are three winners, so if they do not win first place, they still have a chance to win something.”
According to Kraemer, the winner will be notified the week following the deadline, and they will receive their award during the graduation breakfast.
