2020 President's Writing Awards

College of Western Idaho's (CWI) English department is proud to present the recipients of its annual President’s Writing Awards. The annual awards were established to recognize and honor excellence in student writing at CWI. This year, a virtual recognition ceremony was produced to announce the winners. Students were honored for their work during a video presentation and remarks from President Bert Glandon. This is the seventh year Glandon and his wife, Jane, selected students to receive awards in the following categories:

• Creative Nonfiction
• Critical Analysis
• Fiction
• First-Year Writing
• Literature Based Research
• Original Based Research
• Poetry
• Technical Writing

The 2020 President’s Writing Award winners are:

Creative Nonfiction: first-person accounts that explore the writer’s experiences and observations.  

• First Place - Ashlee Vanliew (Faculty, Laura Stavoe) 
• Second Place - Cassandra Kiyoko Woodard (Faculty, Malia Collins) 
• Third Place - Meira Vaid (Faculty, Malia Collins)

Critical Analysis: represents essays that critically evaluate or analyze a piece of literature, a theatrical performance, a work of visual art, a historical moment, a philosophical argument, a social movement, etc. 

• First Place - Ashton Syed (Faculty, Robert Harbaugh) 
• Second Place - Laura Baldwin (Faculty, Kim Scheffer)  
• Third Place - Cassandra Kiyoko Woodard (Faculty, Liza Long)

Fiction 

• First Place - Joseph Higley (Faculty, Dave Nicholas) 
• Second Place - Kathleen Brashier (Faculty, Catherine Kyle)
• Third Place - Kimberly Harwood (Faculty, Dave Nicholas)

First-Year Writing

• First Place - Valerie Roberts (Faculty, Liza Long) 
• Second Place - Jonathan Lucero (Faculty, Abby Wolford)
• Third Place - Kassandra Kolbet (Faculty, Roni Rankin)

Literature Based Research

• First Place - Cassandra Kiyoko Woodard (Faculty, Nikki Gorrell)
• Second Place -  Erin Gee (Faculty, Heather Schoenherr)
• Third place - Julie McCoubrey (Faculty, Reggie Jayne)

Original Research

• First Place - Sevio Stanton (Faculty, Brian McClain)
• Second Place - Alison Brenenstall (Faculty, Michelle Fellows) 
• Third Place - Erin Gee (Faculty, Michelle Fellows)

Poetry

• First Place - Travis Wayne Hill (Faculty, Abby Wolford) 
• Second Place - Nicole Alexandra Kreiner (Faculty, Jana McCurdy) 
• Third Place - Ashlee Vanliew (Faculty, Abby Wolford)

Technical Writing

• First Place - Ashton Syed (Faculty, Karl Von Der Ehe)
• Second Place - Mikela Baciu (Faculty, Karl Von Der Ehe)
• Third Place - Aubrey Pulsipher (Faculty, Karl Von Der Ehe)

Watch the video, and stay tuned for additional virtual presentations recognizing 2020 Connections Excellence and Emerging Scholars recipients.