The Fifth Annual WRD Awards Party was a great success thanks to the participation of WRD majors and minors, MA in WRD graduate students, and MA in NMS graduate students! The awards party was held on Friday, June 5 in Cortelyou Commons and was attended by approximately 60 individuals throughout the evening. The celebration began with a time for students, their friends and family, faculty, and staff to interact and chat over dinner appetizers and live music. The awards ceremony then honored some of the best work from students in WRD’s programs and honored the 2015 inductees of the Pi Epsilon Pi Writing Honor Society. Following the ceremony, attendees enjoyed a photo booth, raffle prizes, and ice cream bar.
The award winners and Pi Epsilon Pi inductees are listed below:
Best Undergraduate Essay
“The Voice of Victims in El Salvador Through Film” by Patrick Humpal
Best Undergraduate Project in Professional, Technical, or Digital Writing
“The University and Student Relationship: An Analysis of DePaul and its Students Through Digital Everyday Texts” by Emma Kolander
MA in WRD: Best Project in Professional and Technical Writing
“Usability Test Report for an Automotive Website” by Jeff Melichar
MA in WRD: Best Project in Teaching Writing and Language
“Assisting Writers with Assistive Technology” by Maggie Collins
MA in WRD: Best Project in Rhetoric and Discourse
“Under the Knife, Under the Skin: A Semiotic Investigation of the South Korean Cosmetic Surgery Phenomenon” by Hannah Lee
Best Project in TESOL
“A Multilingual Space for a Multilingual Process: Supporting L2 Learners in the Writing Center” by Meaghan Young-Stephens
MA in NMS: Best Interactive Media Design
“CTFxC App” by Dennis Georges
MA in NMS: Best New Media Content
“Digital First: The Future of Publishing and Content” by Molly Koeneman
Pi Epsilon Pi Inductees
Theresa Bailey
Ted Daisher
Lindsay Echito
Timothy McElroy
Esther Mendez
This year’s Master of Ceremonies, Justin Staley, noted the great diversity of the winning projects—a testament to the enduring relevance of writing, rhetoric, and discourse across all disciplines. Many thanks to WRD students, faculty, and our fabulous student workers Cecilia and Eric for participating in the event and making it such an enjoyable evening. A special thanks to the faculty in the Awards Party Planning Committee led by Barbara Tilley along with Dana Dunham, Tricia Hermes, and Peter Vandenberg. Lastly, thank you to WRD Department Assistants Jennifer Yang and Zac Edmonds for their help in designing and organizing the event.