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MCC Daily Tribune

Scholars' Day Scholarships

And the winners are...

First, I'll make this short story a little longer. Despite all of the troubles brought on by current events (and I especially mean the virus), we held Scholars' Day online and 47 students representing 24 projects still managed to get their work done, and they participated with videos, online posters, and Powerpoint-guided presentations. Thank you, students.

We also recruited or coaxed 38 faculty and staff to diligently serve as judges for the presentations, whose input is crucial for determining the various scholarship winners; and the recipients receive prizes this year ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 each. Thank you, judges.

And that money doesn't just come out of nowhere; I think we've all been dispelled of the "grows on trees" myth (although I am looking hopefully out my window as I write). The funds used for these scholarship awards are donated by the MCC Foundation, and I think it's safe to say that the members of the foundation have a special place in their hearts for Scholars' Day. It is quite unfortunate that they can't join us to award the prizes as usual. Thank you, MCC Foundation.

So (sheesh, get on with it) without further ado, here are this year's Scholars' Day Scholarship award recipients shown with the titles of their presentations:

1st Place Scholarships:

  • SUAS 2020 Competition, Justin Payne, Logan Hampton, & Ethan Hilbert
  • Limiting Factors to Upward Mobility and Their Implications for Meritocracy in the United States, Devin Ward
  • Trauma, the Brain, and the Mind-Body Connection, Chelsea Davis
  • The Actual Cost of the Dollar Menu: Empathy, Self-interest, and the Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers, Jacob Snell

2nd Place Scholarships:

  • Thinking Small to Fight Big: Understanding Evolutionary Biology to Help Us Fight Disease, Emily Byrnes
  • The Impact of Student Government Leadership Positions on the Student Nurse and the Graduate Registered Nurse, Brenna Chinappi & Nichole Wilkinson
  • Intervening Based on Carbon Emissions Violating Human Rights, Sherinne Cauwels
  • Drone Capstone Project, Autumn Ornt, Tristan Smathers, Collin Tumbiolo, & Oksana Vysochanska

3rd Place Scholarships:

  • The Villain is the Hero of his own Story, Misty Yarnall
  • Increasing Retention for Disadvantaged Students Through Peer-to-Peer Mentoring, Lizette Porter, Michael Bennett, Bradley Pritchard, & Zeba Ellikka
  • The Effects of Western Ideology on Policies Regarding Minorities, Angelina Rezende
  • The Importance of African-American Education in W.E.B DuBois' The Souls of Black Folk, Chance Henry
  • (tie) Examining Power in Hamlet: The Tragedy of Claudius and the Future of America, Chance Henry

Congratulations everyone.

And this wouldn't be complete without also thanking the whole Scholars' Day Committee, who managed despite being overwhelmed by "normal" work, as well as Andrea Gilbert for all her help moving us to Blackboard.

I think that's it. Let's all hope that we can be back on campus for a normal Scholars' Day next year.

Michael Ofsowitz
Scholars' Day Committee
06/04/2020