Five peer consultants in the Writing Center at Washington State University have been honored by their major departments in the College of Arts and Sciences with “outstanding senior” awards, and a sixth has received the Ruth Slonim Poetry Prize.
The top seniors are Alistair Fortson, Kyle (Raleigh) Hansen, Hailey Roemer, Sophia Stephens, and Ruben Zecena. The $1,000 poetry prize winner is Taylor Bereiter.
“These six students have been invaluable in the Writing Center, as role models, leaders, and as writing consultants, and we could not be more proud that their departments have chosen them as their top seniors,” said Brooklyn Walter, director of the Writing Center.
The outstanding senior award in history went to Fortson, who is from Berkeley, Calif. Hansen received the award from philosophy and is from Vancouver, Wash. Roemer, from Sumner, Wash, received the award from political sciences. Stephens, from Wenatchee, received the award from comparative ethnic studies. Zecena received the award from women’s studies and is from Pasco, Wash.
The College of Arts and Sciences defines an outstanding senior as “one who has excelled in academic performance and in service to their school or department and the university community.” Awardees are selected by the department faculty and chairs for each of the 24 degrees in the college.
Bereiter is a creative writing major from Port Angeles, Wash. She received the award for two of her poems, one of which is a sestina memorializing the death of a woman murdered for being transgender.
All of the award winners work in the Writing Center, which is a part of WSU Undergraduate education, assisting and supporting undergraduate writers with the challenges of writing in the university.
The Writing Center hires undergraduate students from all disciplines and assists student writers with papers from all classes and all departments. Students are hired primarily based on their interest in talking about writing and communication, not necessarily on GPAs or writing samples. According to Walter, “The Writing Program thrives because our consultants are dedicated to supporting each other and their WSU peers in pursuing and achieving their goals.”
For more information on the writing program visit: www.writingprogram.wsu.edu/
