Eastern Connecticut State University’s Department of English hosted an awards ceremony and capstone presentations on Dec. 5 to celebrate student achievements. The event recognized five scholarship recipients, 39 inductees into the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and featured five capstone presentations.

The awards ceremony, honor society induction and capstone presentations recognized the achievements of 49 English students, highlighting the Department of English’s success throughout the fall 2024 semester. “There are lots of writers, educators and students doing really interesting work,” Department Chair Steve Ferruci remarked, emphasizing the program’s diversity and academic excellence.

Capstone presentations

A highlight of English Night was the presentation of several capstone projects. Hannah Bernashe and Bella Johnson presented their independent capstone projects. Bernashe’s “From Affirmation to Activism” explored the evolving portrayals of African American enslavement and its aftermath in picture books since the 1990s.

Her research, mentored by Speicher, culminated in a 40-page paper that discovered a shift in the topic’s portrayal in recent decades. “Picture books in the 1990s about African American individuals were more affirming of their identities,” said Bernashe. “Books in the present are about making change, like giving children the tools to be activists.”

Johnson’s “One Step at a Time” demonstrated her creative writing skills in a six-chapter novella. Her capstone explores the intricacies of romantic relationships, mental health and love through the story of Georgia, a Connecticut teacher who became deaf as a teenager, and Nicholas, whose past relationships impacted his views on love.

The second set of capstones were part of Professor Kenneth McNeil’s class “Contemporary British Postcolonial Literature,” which explores the history and cultures of former British colonies.

Margaret Rousseau’s paper, titled “Anne’s Canada,” analyzed L.M. Montgomery’s 1908 novel “Anne of Green Gables” as a representation of Canadian identity through the settler-colonialist perspective. She argues that the story, both textually and sub-textually, “reflects a fundamentally settler-colonialist perspective dominant to Montgomery’s era.”

Rousseau also conducted an analysis of the TV series “Anne with an E,” a modern reimagining of the novel that acknowledges the biases of the original text, while introducing new characters and stories that challenge them.

“The Caribbean Poetry Library” is a resource to educate global audiences on poetry from the Caribbean. Evan Sinisterra’s capstone developed an online database of Caribbean literature from both popular and underrepresented authors, noting a “near total absence of translated cross-cultural poetry to read” and “a severe lack of online scholarship on poetry,” said Sinisterra.

Another student created an educational resource, the one with the intent for its use in public schools. Mackenzie Wucik created a curriculum to educate high school students on post-colonial literature. “Studying post-colonial literature before college helps students develop a deeper understanding of global history, cultural identity and the lasting effects of colonialism,” she said.

Working with various literature and feedback from her own high school teachers, Wucik created an in-depth, semester-long lesson plan that fits within Connecticut’s Common Core standards and teaching guidelines.

Sigma Tau Delta induction

The event continued with the induction of 39 students into the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. “This is one of the biggest groups we’ve ever had,” said Professor Allison Speicher, congratulating the inductees.

Speicher also emphasized that Eastern’s chapter requires a higher GPA than the national institution, further praising the students’ accomplishments. The society’s president, Olivia Melillo, and its historian, Brooke Morgan, conducted the ceremony.

“I’m very proud of how I got here,” said inductee Ian Harrington, attributing his original nomination to academic achievements he had accumulated throughout college. “I’m looking forward to other opportunities this could offer.”

Scholarships

Several students also received scholarship awards at English Night. Dana Arroyo Infante received the Constance Campo Memorial Scholarship for her academic excellence as a non-traditional student. Ferruci noted that Arroyo Infante “wrote compelling poems inspired by her experiences as a young Latina coming of age in early 21^st-century America.”

The Alexander “Sandy” Taylor Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Jasper Galouzis for their commitment to peace and human rights through poetry. “I've watched them produce polished and sophisticated poems that have captivated audiences in a variety of settings,” wrote an anonymous professor in Galouzi's nomination for the award. “Jasper's work interrogates accepted norms and argues for new, more complicated ways of looking at the world, and for more just ways of living within it.”

Zavier Garcia received the David and Janet Philips Scholarship, established in 1990 by Donald Philips in honor of his parents. Garcia’s work explores questions of gender, sexuality, power and identity.

Colin Morrison was awarded the Dr. Celia Catlett Prize in English for his exemplary capstone project. Currently working on a fiction novel titled “The Shift,” Morrison explores how corporate control and environmental deterioration will negatively impact lives and relationships.

Myah Egbula received the Emergent Scholar in English Studies Grant, established by Dean Emerita Carmen Cid to support students of color pursuing English studies. Some of her work explores how “algorithm-driven platforms create echo chambers of medical language, influencing individuals, perceptions of mental health and fostering the widespread adoption of labels,” according to Ferruci.