Excellence in Writing Awards

Xinran Chen: Best Paper WRTG 1009/1010

"My Story with Writing: The Price of the Ticket"

I am currently pursuing my second undergraduate degree in Data Science at the University of Utah. Before this, I worked as a Project Manager in my homeland for two years, which built my strong communication skills. My current goal is not only to master technical science skills but also to use my "art of language" to act as a catalyst and "lubricant" for collaboration within the tech industry.

Ash Mazuelos: Best Paper WRTG 2010

"Weighing Growth Against Ecology: The Cycle Continues"

Weighing Growth Against Ecology was a long time in the making and something that I am very proud of.  I found out about the Inland Port Proposal in a major specific class in my freshman year and was immediately interested in what exactly the project was and meant. It wasn’t until WRTG 2010, and three “final” renditions being submitted, that I believe I found my voice on the matter. I think the port is so important to me because of not only what it will do but what it stands for. I am an avid outdoor recreator and subsequently feel a need to protect the natural world, and the port simply contradicts these beliefs.

Joshua Joseph: Honorable Mention WRTG 2010

"Allowing Ourselves to Sit with Sadness"

Jessie Kalinowski: Writing as Social Practice/Rhetorical Action

"Melting Comprehension Barriers: Revising Polar Bears International's Ice House Script for an E2 Audience"

Jessie is graduating this spring with a degree in Applied Math. After graduation she wants to continue learning, spend time outside, and try not to take life too seriously. This essay was written for my Writing Across Borders class and aims to make a script teaching visitors about polar bears and climate change to an interpretive center in Svalbard, Norway more accessible to non-native English speakers. I chose this project, because this script is used for educating thousands of visitors a year, and by making the language more inclusive, more people would be able to engage with the material.

Viviena Wolfgramm: Multimodal Composition

"Songs of Unsung Heroes"

Hello, my name is Viviena Wolfgramm. I was born and raised here in Salt Lake City, Utah and am a fourth-generation student here at the University of Utah. My major is History, and I have tailored many of my courses to study British History and Military History. Since I was a child, I have always gravitated toward music for its ability to facilitate concepts that are linguistically uncommunicable, through emotion in audio. These audible emotions can break past the barrier of differing language, experiences, and culture, utilizing human emotion as a universal language to encourage a sense of understanding. I have always been perplexed by the concept of war, that a person could hate one thing so much and yet love another so much more as to go forth and offer their life to protect what is behind them. I wanted to write these songs to commemorate this aspect of the warrior ethos - to give a wider audience insight into the complex emotions that soldiers might experience in war. These songs are meant to serve as something a listener might hear in a movie soundtrack or trailer to pair the visual understanding of war with the audibly emotional aspect of war that can be so easily missed out on. It is my hope that this music touches the hearts of soldiers and civilians alike, and that through this newfound emotional connection and understanding between fellow man, that the world might seek to come together, and realize that in the dark of war's devastation, the light of love will always overcome.

Emerson Hagy: Writing & Rhetoric Studies Research: Open Category

"Reframing Classical Rhetoric Through Ancient Egypt: Origin to Exchange"

Emerson Hagy is a double major in Writing & Rhetoric Studies and Psychology. His recent paper, Reframing Classical Rhetoric Through Ancient Egypt: Origin to Exchange, challenges the popular Western narrative that Greece was the birthplace of rhetoric, arguing instead that ancient Egyptian rhetorical practices — rooted in the ethical concept of Maat and institutionalized through temple education — were active participants in a broader Mediterranean intellectual exchange. He chose the topic out of genuine curiosity about how origin stories shape the way we understand knowledge, and who gets credit for it. Emerson will be attending law school in the fall but is unsure of where. 

Kaiden Carlson: Writing Within the Disciplines

"Hurricane Intensification in a Warming Climate: Trends, Mechanisms, and Outlook"

My name is Kaiden Carlson. I am an Atmospheric Science major with an emphasis in Meteorology. I wrote “Hurricane Intensification in a Warming Climate: Trends, Mechanisms, and Outlook” to explore why hurricanes are becoming more intense in a warming world. With a long-standing fascination with extreme weather, I have become increasingly interested in the rise of rapidly intensifying storms and the role climate change plays in driving these events.
My paper examines how and why hurricanes are intensifying by analyzing observed trends, the physical mechanisms behind storm development, and case studies of hurricanes with catastrophic impacts. It highlights both the growing scientific consensus and remaining uncertainties, with the goal of improving understanding and strengthening forecasting.
In the near future, I plan to pursue graduate studies and a career in meteorological forecasting, where I hope to advance prediction methods and help communities better prepare for extreme weather events.

Ada Marrè: Self-Nomination: Open Category

"Internet Happiness Rhetoric: Isolation, Improvement, and the Ideal"

Ada Marrè is a Sophomore at the University of Utah and currently works at the University Writing Center on campus. She is deeply passionate about both creative and academic writing and enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, and journaling in her free time. 

This paper is an examination of how the internet (and maybe most of western society) views happiness, and what it preaches to us about getting it, and who is profiting from it. I chose the topic of this paper because for many formative years of my life I subscribed to the idea that working hard to get a good body, a good diet, an enviable job, and other markers of status was the key to happiness. I spent years trying to control everything I did or ate and repressed large parts of myself into conformity all under the pretense that it would make me loved and satisfied. I wanted to know where those ideas came from, who was telling me to believe in them, and who benefits off of my adherence. Because in truth, all they led me to was self-disgust, isolation, and rock-bottom. It has been through unabashed self-love, community building, and personal integrity that I have found true happiness and continue to feel capable of creating a life I love. 

I hope that my education can lead me to a better understanding of my fellow man and the human experience. I am passionate about research as well as creative writing, and I hope that both of those passions can lead me to more truth about the world, and if I'm lucky, maybe even publication.

Wonseo Choi: Best Paper Presented at a Conference/Published in a Journal

"Culture Club"

Abbey McGregor: Critical and Rhetorical Theories

"Investigating the Context and Implications of Indigenous American and Irish Solidarity"

This paper explores how the rhetoric of solidarity brings up inherent questions around power, equality, and what gets remembered. I focused on Indigenous American and Irish solidarity due to my personal connection to both cultures and interest in how these two groups have built narratives of solidarity that challenge and reinforce hegemonic norms.

I hope to attend a PHD program for clinical psychology.

Joseph Mayaki: Best Graduate Student Seminar Paper

"The Minimization of Writing Pedagogy in the Nigerian General Studies Education"

Joseph A. Mayaki is a scholar of writing, rhetoric, and literature whose work explores writing pedagogy, rhetorical theory, digital grief communities, and the health humanities. His writing studies research focuses on inclusive and context-sensitive approaches to writing instruction, with particular interest in the place of writing pedagogy in Nigerian higher education. He is committed to scholarship and teaching that advance clarity, care, and meaningful educational access across diverse contexts.

Maddy Bloodworth: Excellence in Writing Center Tutoring

I am a fourth-year student studying International Studies and Criminology. Following graduation, I hope to pursue a career in law and spend lots of time with my dog, Erwin. 

Jannah Hinthorne: Outstanding Instructor Award

Jannah Hinthorne is second-year MA English Literature student finishing her first year as a graduate instructor of WRTG 2010 and a TA at Salt Lake Community College. Her experience as a writing tutor has inspired her to emphasize listening as a rhetorical strategy in the writing classroom. Her MA thesis centers her experience teaching listening and writing as overlapping processes. She treasures the connections she has made with her students here at the University of Utah. 

Jannah’s goals for the next year include moving back to Seattle, WA to become a community college English professor and continuing her writing center work. 

Jannah is the Managing editor of the literary journal Quarterly West, a book reviewer, and a nanny. When she’s not teaching, reading, writing, or hanging out with 2-year-olds, you can find her hiking, dancing terribly, and taking pictures of her weird cat, Milo.

Hua Zhu: Outstanding Instructor Award

Department Chair Award: Zac Chatterley