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April 17, 2007

Essay award winners recognized

The English Department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe honored the best essay contest winners during a special ceremony today.

The best essay contest is tied to ULM's Summer Reading Program, a program designed to introduce first-year students to intellectual exchange at ULM.

Last summer, students read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser and wrote reactions to what they read.

Katie Kelly, a biology major and Monroe native, received first place and an award of $300 for her essay, "Fast Food in the Eyes of ULM Students." Of the award she said, "It has been an honor and a privilege to accept this award. I never dreamed I would enjoy and learn so much from reading Fast Food Nation." Kelly is a Saint Frederick High School graduate.

Elijah Boothe, a Harrisonburg native, accepted second place and $200 for his essay, "Behind Closed Doors." Boothe is a pre-nursing major.

Derrick Jones, a pre-pharmacy major from Princeton, was awarded third place and $100 for his essay, "Fast Food: Friend or Foe?" Jones graduated from Haughton High School.

Kelly and Jones wrote their winning essays in English Instructor Jackie Tucker's class. Boothe wrote his essay in English Instructor James Pettit's class.


More about the Summer Reading Program:

New ULM students are expected to read a selected book over the summer as their first university assignment, and be prepared to discuss it in freshman English, Freshman Year Seminar (FRYS), and other classes across campus. The program's goals are to provide students with the opportunity to participate in their first common intellectual experience, to introduce them to the university's academic life, and to enhance the sense of unity among students, faculty, staff, and the community.

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