Undergraduate Award Recipients 2021–2022
Cardinal Cushing Award — for the best fiction published in a BC undergraduate publication:
First Place: Megan Cresitello ’23, for "Sacré-Coeur” (Stylus, Spring 2022)
Second Place: Sydney Fosnick-Davis ’23, for "House” (Stylus, Fall 2021)
- Third Place: Julia Evers ’22, for "First Blood” (Stylus, Spring 2022)
Dever Fellowship — a substantial grant presented in honor of novelist and BC alumnus Joseph Dever, to a graduating senior who proposes to pursue a career in writing:
Julia Evers ’22
Ryan Fitzgerald ’22
Dever Award for Freshman Writing — For the best three essays by first year students in a Spring ‘21 or AY ‘21-22 English course (three first prizes):
Ava Cahill ’25, for “Perceptions of Blackness in Fred Wilson’s Iago’s Mirror” (nominated by Nell Wasserstrom)
Corbin Buchwald ’25, for “The Role of the ֱ Accent in Local Politics” (nominated by Vincent Portillo)
- Ananya Kuttikkad ’25, for “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” (nominated by Mali Barker)
Doherty Prize for an Exemplary Honors Project (Creative):
Ian McPheters, “Toward What: A Meandering Narrative About Commercial Fishing, a $200MM Suicide Factory, Walking in a Straight Line for Many Consecutive Days, and Class in a Precarious America”
Doherty Prize for an Exemplary Honors Project (Critical):
Hannah Murphy, “Buried Under Interpretation: George Eliot’s Early Heroines”
English Language Learner Essay Award — for the best essay by an English Language Learner written for an ELL section of First Year Writing Seminar or Literature Core:
Winner: Yuan Shi ’25, for “Feng Lan” (nominated by Amanda Labriola)
- Honorable Mention: Geqi (“Allie”) Li ’24, for “More Than Just an Extra Stitch” (nominated by Alex Puente)
John Randall Award — presented in honor and memory of author and BC Professor John Randall to the undergraduate writer of the best essay on American literature and culture:
Caitlyn Neville, ’22, "A Short Cultural History of the Thoreau Society, Chapter 2: The Fight for Walden Pond" (nominated by Min Song)
Honorable Mention: Madeleine Sopel, ’24, "(Un)Minimalist: An Exploration of Philip Glass' Rejection of Musical Stereotypes in His Score to the Film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" (nominated by Jason McCool)
Honorable Mention: Emma Fleet, ’22 "An Angel in the House: The Beautiful Suffering of Beth March" (nominated by Susan Roberts)
William A. Kean Memorial Award — to the graduating senior judged to be the outstanding English major:
- Alicia Kang ’22
Bishop Kelleher Award — for the best poetry published in a BC undergraduate publication:
First Place: Lily Mesterhazy ’22 , “Abecedarian on Dahmer Street" (Stylus, Spring 2022)
Second place: Cecilia Durcan ’23 , “22 years of pacing back and forth is enough pacing to lose yourself in your own kitchen" (Stylus, Fall 2021)
- Third Place: Max White ’24, “Lost to Crater Lake" (Stylus, Fall 2021)
Dennis A. McCarthy Award — for the best collection of creative writing by a junior or senior:
First Place: Jacob Atwood ’22
Second Place: Julianna Markus ’23
Third Place: Alexis Slotterback ’22