Student Writing Featured in English Anthology

by Xander Eliopulos, Public Relations Writer – October 26, 2015

Cedarville's second anthology of student writing has been published.

This fall, Cedarville University’s Department of English, Literature, and Modern Languages released its second anthology of student writing. The anthology, a collection of freshman composition essays, was the culmination of a writing competition held last year.

The competition was hosted by the Language Arts Education (LAE) organization. Students from all departments submitted papers from their freshman-level composition class along with a $2 entry fee. English and literature faculty reviewed all of the 60 papers submitted.

The first-place winner of the competition was Breanne Brigadoi, a junior nursing major from Findlay, Ohio, for her “Integration Paper.” Kaitlyn Morse, an early childhood education major from Bethel, Connecticut, and Kelsey Gentry, a biology major from Purceville, Virginia, placed second with their “Single-Sex Versus Coeducation” document. 

“The book highlights our students’ efforts, but also acts as a reader for the classroom,” said Cyndi Messer, MA, associate professor of English. “Quite a few of my essay prompts in my classes come out of our anthology, and I point students there as a resource.” 

While the anthology has served as a great resource on campus, it is also making its way into middle schools and high schools in the area. 

“We’ve had the opportunity to distribute copies to several schools in southwest Ohio for their English departments to use,” said Messer. “It’s a great way to highlight the accomplishments of our students while also providing a valuable resource to area schools.”

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.