Melissa Sylvester
First Place

Melissa is a sophomore Psychology major at UMBC, though she is currently living in Hamilton, New Zealand and studying at the University of Waikato. In addition to an assiduous fascination of human beings and their inner workings, she has a penchant for words, communication, and the English language in general. Much like cleaning, Melissa finds the task of writing a paper daunting and inciting of acute bouts of procrastination, but feels distinct satisfaction and contentment when she is finally able to view the finished product. For this particular essay, an essay on the mental significance and experience of writing itself, that looking-back satisfaction was even greater than usual (particularly because it took ages to write). Melissa would like to thank Professor Diane Putzel and fellow student Nicholas Caminiti for their moral support and encouragement in writing this essay.

Read Melissa's essay, The Birth of a Writer from Revolutionary Iran

Katherine Miller
Honorable Mention

Emilie Wunderlich
Honorable Mention