Eastern Arizona College’s English Department honors students

EAC Photo: Research paper winners are, from right to left, Rachel Peterson (1st), Jessica Cluff (2nd), and Kynzie Blank (3rd).

EAC Photo: Research paper winners are, from left, Kynzie Blank (3rd), Jessica Cluff (2nd), and Rachel Peterson (1st).

By Shannon Rapier/EAC

THATCHER — Eastern Arizona College’s English Department held its annual English Honors Night last week and opened with awards for its 11th annual Research Essay Competition. In this competition, entrants must be nominated by English department faculty who consider the students’ work to be outstanding examples of research and writing. After a panel of EAC faculty members adjudicated the nominations, three students were recognized for their excellence in writing.

Rachel Peterson was awarded first place for her essay, “Genetic Engineering: The Possible Future of Humankind.” The second-place essay, “The Final Words of Our Dying Oceans” was written by Jessica Cluff. Third place was awarded to Kynzie Blank for, “Gender Inequality in Education in Afghanistan.”

The evening continued with 14 students, representing a variety of majors, being inducted into the Beta Zeta Chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta, the national English honor society, in the chapter’s ninth annual ceremony.

Sigma Kappa Delta honors excellence in the disciplines of writing, reading, and critical thinking. All initiates must have completed at least one course in college English with a “B” or higher and maintained a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

EAC Photo: SKD nominees are, front, from left, Cecilia Madrid, Isabelle Shock, Lisa Edwards, Josiah Leyba, and Isabela Seballos; back, from left, Jacob Bigelow, Patrick Chavez, and Matilda Hilton.

This year’s inductees are Dillen Aker, Jacob Bigelow, Patrick Chavez, Celinda Delgado, Lisa Edwards, Mikayla Evans, Kathryn Ferrin, Matilda Hilton, Tyler Lewis, Josiah Leyba, Cecilia Madrid, Isabela Seballos, Isabelle Shock, and Caroline Suorsa.

Officiating at the induction were EAC English faculty sponsors Dr. Jacob Lauritzen, Mary Ann Larson, and Helen Robinson. Dr. Peter Chidester, dean of humanities, social sciences, and fine arts was the keynote speaker.

Summer and fall classes are forming now. For information on enrolling, contact EAC’s Counseling Department at (928) 428-8253.