English Department Prize Winners
Christiaan Theodoor Lievestro Prize
2024
Nadine Koochou for "Mentally Equal but Domestically Subordinate: Mary Robinson’s Letter to the Women of England on the Injustice of Mental Subordination" & "On Marriage, Children, and Other Expectations: The Feminist Absurd in Rachel Cusk’s Outline"
2023
Cassidy Block for “Austen’s Vindication for Women’s Education,Women as Depicted in Tennessee Williams, Under the Greenwood Tree and A Pair of Blue Eyes: Hardy’s Post-Darwinian Romance”
2022
Mac Mann-Wood for Portfolio of essays: “Literature and Liberation: Not One Without the Other”, “Good Versus Evil & Light Versus Dark in The Book of Night Women”, “Literacy as a Tool of Ableism: Yes, Even in Apocalyptic Contexts”
2021
Nathan Barnes for "Reconciling America’s Folk Literary Narrative, Literacy Liberates our Original Thought on the Foundation of Epistemology, Kairos: The Web Journal that Redefines" and "Interdisciplinary Scholarship in Writing" Studies
2020
Erika Rasmussen for her Portfolio of essays: Wordsworth’s Immortal Ode, Ecological Awareness in the Old English Judith: Purposeful Interconnection and Gender, & Othello and the Vulnerability of Reality: Ideology, Responsibility, and Race"
2019
Perla Luna for "The Potential and Limitations of Empathy as Resistance in The Hate U Give, Confronting the Terror Whiteness, and Negotiating Identity"
2018
Esther Young for her essays: "Open Mics as Models for Urban Revitalization: The Role of Downtown San José’s Open Mics in the Context of Gentrification and Creative Placemaking" & "Uncle Silas as an Irish Novel"
2017
Silvia Signore for her portfolio of essays from Dubliners, Tennessee Williams’ plays, and Beloved; Essays titled: "From Where the Narrator Stands," "A Portrait of Reality: Misunderstood Women in a Man’s World,' "The Catharsis of (Re)Memory"
2015-2016
Jenna Morgan
2014-2015
Jacob Wilbers
2013-2014
Laura Sylvan
2012-2013
William Usdin
2011-2012
Julianne Parayo
2010-2011
Stephanie Wilson
2009-2010
Elizabeth Sweeney
Giuseppina Chiaramonte
2008-2009
Krystal Wu
2007-2008
Julianne Jigour
2006-2007
Athena Arnot-Copenhaver
2005-2006
Julie Sugishita
2004-2005
Melissa Franklin
2003-2004
Katherine Quevedo
2002-2003
Geoffrey Rocca
2001-2002
Leslie-Ann Holt
2000-2001
Katie Colendich
1999-2000
Shilpa Arora
Katherine Woodall Prize
2024
Nikhita Panjnani for "Shattered Glass: The Windows of Opportunity in Rachel Cusk’s Outline"
2023
Cassidy Block for her essay "Women as Depicted in Tennesee Williams"
2022
Tied for First:
Jaden Fong for his essay "Physiological and Spiritual Health in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Marlon James’ The Book of Night Women"
Emma Samuel for her essay "Queerness in Measure for Measure"
2021
Tied for First:
Jessica Joudy for her essay "Harriet Meziere’s Moreton Abbey (1786): Recovering Experimental 18th c. Women's Fiction That Is More Than Just Novel”
Felicia Jarrin for her essay "Ending the Cycle of Abuse: Manifestations of Intimate Partner Violence, Gender Roles, and Sisterhood in 'Woman Hollering Creek' and 'Sabrina & Corina'"
Honorable Mention:
Alexa Alfano for her essay "'California’ and California: Place and Hedonism from Ginsberg to Didion."
2020
Katya Trushchankova for her essay "Gender Equality to Salvation through The Phoenix"
2019
Austin Gray for “Fit in or Get Out: The Unfortunate Binary Choice for Upwardly Mobile Black Men in America”
2018
Gabby Deutsch for her essay “Surrealist Humor in 'Git on Board' and 'Negrotown'”
2017
Emma Ferrell for her essay “Uncontrollable Consumption:
Double-Colonization in Toni Morrison’s Beloved”
2015-2016
Clara Cushing
2014-2015
Patrick McDonell
2013-2014
Kayla Unger
2012-2013
Kaitlyn Baker
2011-2012
Richard Jon Teel
2010-2011
Katherine Tolentino
2009-2010
Reid Hudson
2008-2009
Sarah Graham
2007-2008
Maureen McKenzie
2006-2007
Matthew Hendricks
2005-2006
Matt Meyerhofer
2004-2005
Ben Chee Kong Mok
2003-2004
Andres Carillo
2002-2003
Shiaw-Ling Lai
2001-2002
Claire Angelici
2000-2001
Kara Thompson
1999-2000
Lisa Myers,
Shannon Roth
1998-1999
Danielle Aberle
1997-1998
Lisa Adams
McCann Short Story Prize
2024
Allison Hoff for "Giving Up"
2023
Blake Bruno for "Good Friends, Louisiana"
Runner-up:
Gideon Devendra for "Punchin' Judy Sees Magic"
2022
Sophie Wink for "The Girl"
2021
Eric Bressinger for "The Winds"
Runner-up:
Felicia Jarrin for "Motherland"
2020
Amanda Eason for her short story "Lighter"
2019
Annie Loewen for her short story "Yesterday"
2018
Kelley Dong for her short story "Multiocular O"
2017
Madeline Nguyen for her short story "i hope you felt loved"
2015-2016
Emma Ferrell
2014-2015
Kalyn Josephson
2013-2014
Nicholas Anthony
2012-2013
Sarah McMClammy
2011-2012
Kelly McMeekin
2010-2011
Jane Wongso Suhardjo
2009-2010
Giuseppina Chiaramonte
2008-2009
Randy Holaday
2007-2008
Kelsey Maher
2006-2007
Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi
2005-2006
T.J. Moran
2004-2005
Ben Swanson
2003-2004
Erin Pate
2002-2003
Tanya Landsberger
2001-2002
Peter Riehl
2000-2001
H. Robert Berg III
1999-2000
Courtney A. Richards
1998-1999
James Duncan
1997-1998
Lisa Adams
1995-1996
Lisa Adams
1994-1995
Erin F. Kimura
1993-1994
Eliza Raquel Gallardo
1992-1993
Christoper E. Waters
1991-1992
Robert Eugene Nelson
1990-1991
Julie Katherine Franklin
1989-1990
Cheryl Ann Tonry
1988-1989
Melinda Ann Markham
1987-1988
Kirsten Sue Gorman
1986-1987
Catherine D. Thompson
1985-1986
Melinda Lee Bihn
1984-1985
Mary M. Norris
1983-1984
Nancy Renee Novak
1982-1983
John Jeffrey Brazil
1980-1981
Brian D. Johnson
1979-1980
Neal R. Jimenez
Tamara Verga Prize
2024
Audrey "Mei" Backof for "Flower Mother, Fever Daughter"
2023
Ruby Gutierrez for “6th Street Bridge.”
2022
Jaden Fong for “Elegy for a Found Animal Skull.”
Honorable Mention:
Nathaniel Metz for "Somewhere Else Doing Strange Work."
2021
Jaden Fong for “There will come a day when the deer trails will be my trails, until they will not be anymore.”
Honorable Mention:
Sarah Lackey for "When I think of lightning."
2020
Erika Rasmussen for her poem "Psalm 151"
2019
Erica Rasmussen for “Mylėti Means To Love (Barely Known), On Either Side of Jonah, Down To The Elbows”
2018
Shelley Valdez for her poems “Love and Other Fire Hazards”, “The Softest Bitch in Town”, and “Last Words from a Pillar of Salt”
2017
1st Place: Emma Ferrell for her poems “Ode to a Beautiful Button”, “Finding the Memory Box in my Parents’ Basement”, and “I was trying to pin down these thoughts with thumbtacks”
Honorable Mention: Kelley Dong for her poem: “Incompleteness, Forever”
2015-2016
Shelley Valdez
2014-2015
Forrest Nguyen
2013-2014
Sabrina Barreto
2012-2013
Victoria Isabel Yap
2011-2012
Sabrina Barreto
2010-2011
Ainsley Kelly
2009-2010
Nicholas Sanchez
2008-2009
Nicholas Sanchez
2007-2008
Kristina Capella
2006-2007
Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi
2005-2006
Molly Mellinger
2004-2005
Neil Ferron
2003-2004
Alexander M. Weyand
2002-2003
Nicole Docimo
2001-2002
Dustin Cu
2000-2001
Katie Colendich
1990-2000
Gareth S. Lee
1998-1999
Gareth S. Lee
1997-1998
Elizabeth Demske
1996-1997
Maureen E. McDonnell
1995-1996
Marci L. Duren
1994-1995
Antonio S. Facchino
Shipsey Poetry Prize
2024
1st Place: Rhiannon Briggs for "For my mom, whom i have cried with for the first time” & “Yellow Poem"
2nd Place: Ruby Gutierrez for "Hair"
3rd Place: Claire Hong for “genes” & “and a letter to the man who hollered at me across the street
2023
1st Place: Nathaniel Metz for "How to Grow Blurry."
2nd Place: Ruby Gutierrez for "6th Street Bridge."
3rd Place: Sarah Neus for "Passerby."
2022
1st Place: Nathaniel Metz for "Silence."
2nd Place: Nadine Koochou for "For Assyrians, Past and Present."
3rd Place: Joey Hernandez Mena for "I like the sound my puffer jacket makes when I walk."
Honorable Mention: Sunkyo Chun for "Hollow."
2021
1st Place: Jaden Fong for "Modern Day Pygmalion"
1st Place: Nate Metz for "Color and Acceptance"
2nd Place: Jessica Joudy for "devoted"
3rd Place: Riley Scherr for "For my brother, wherever he should be"
2020
Zhi-Ying Chua for her poem "Rasa Sayang"
2019
Erika Rasmussen for her poems “Mylėti Means To Love (Barely Known)”, “On Either Side of Jonah”, and “Down To The Elbows”
2018
1st Place: Shelley Valdez for her poems “Love and Other Fire Hazards”, “The Softest Bitch in Town”, and “Last Words from a Pillar of Salt”
2nd Place: Dominic Tran for his poems “Methanol Fire”, “Cannonball”, and “Phoenix”
3rd Place: Avery Ikeda for her poems“Fight Song of a Public Defender”, “For Katrina”and “Becoming”
2017
1st Place: Shelley Valdez for her poems “The Great Glass Jar”,
“For the Girl Who Introduced Me to Anne Carson”, and “Postcards”
2nd Place: Miles Lagunas for his poems “Ode to Apep,” “Hummingbird,” and “Fine Art.”
3rd Place: Riley O’Connell for her poems “Numbers Guy”,“my father’s son”,
and “Prayers Onto My Lips”
4th Place: Jimmy Flynn for his poems “tastebuds,” “recipe,” and “why me?”
2015-2016
Shelley Valdez
2014-2015
Sabrina Barreto
2013-2014
Kathryn McAuliffe
2012-2013
Sarah McClammy
2011-2012
Sabrina Barreto
2010-2011
Marty Saunders
2009-2010
Ainsley Kelly
2008-2009
Rachel Wilde
2007-2008
Kiik Araki Kawaguchi
2006-2007
Kristina Chiapella
2005-2006
Stefanie Silva
2004-2005
Stefanie Silva
2003-2004
Alexander M. Weyand
2002-2003
Holli Ogle
2001-2002
Matthew Schenck
2000-2001
Dana K. C. Wolfe
1999-2000
Quentin Obis
1998-1999
Gareth S. Lee
1997-1998
Gareth S. Lee
1996-1997
David M. Metzger
1995-1996
Joseph M. C. Tung
1994-1995
Antonio S. Facchino
1993-1994
William R. Turner
1992-1993
Julie M. Zografos
1991-1992
Elizabeth M. Kelly
1990-1991
Julie M. Zografos
1989-1990
Malinda A. Markham
1988-1989
Malinda A. Markham
1987-1988
Catherine D. Thompson
1982-1983
Kevin J. Kelly
1981-1982
Christine L. Long
1980-1981
Mary L. Shipsey
1979-1980
Kathryn S. Bold
Multimodal Writing Prize
2024
Rhiannon Briggs for “This is not a story This is my Abortion”
Honorable Mention:
Matt Oglesby for “Fractal”
Lauren Kilfoy for “An Inside Look into the Male Gaze”
2023
Evan Fine for "Running From Light"
2022
Maeve Corbett for "Body Image" collage/poem
Honorable mention:
Ruby Gutierrez for "Environmental Racism" video/script
2021
Alexa Alfano for "Podcast on Shakespeare's King Lear"
Honorable mention:
Brianha Jackson for "The Mindful Narrative Website"
2020
Sydney Thompson and Khiely Jackson for their project titled: "Anti-Racist Teaching Collective"
2019
Kimy Grandi Soriano - How are femmes honoring Frida Kahlo's legacy in the US
2018
Gavin Cosgrave
2017
Tim Shur & Mark So
2016
Hannah Kortbawi & Taylor Tagawa
2015
Marissa Martinez, Max Nguyen, Erin Root, & Max Silva
2014
Gordon Change & Steve Olivera
First-Year Composition and Rhetoric Prize
2023-24
CTW 1
1st place in Narrative: Miranda Sheafor: "Bean Pods and Bird Song"
1st place in Research and Analysis: Robert Bolival: "The ‘M’ in ‘Meaninglessness’ Stands for Money"
CTW 2
1st place: Natalie Stoval: "On the Streets of SCU: An Analysis of Street Harassment at Santa Clara University"
2022-23
CTW 1
1st place: Darrien Mitri: "Happy Meal"
CTW 2
1st place (tie): Ayden Dauenhauer: "Student Debt, Life Altering Consequences, and the Political Conflicts Behind It All"
1st place (tie): Brian Nguyen: "Would Art by Another Hand Look Just as Sweet?"
2021-22
CTW 1
1st place (tie): Katy Wolff: "Julkakor (or Christmas cookies)"
1st place (tie): Ellie Fox: "The Prison to Homelessness to Prison to Homelessness Pipeline"
CTW 2
1st place (tie): Renee Ho: "The Pandemic of Anti-Asian Racism"
1st place (tie): Isa Fernandez: "An Analysis on how Panethnic Identities Should Be Used"
2020-21
CTW 1
1st place: Oliver Branham-Upton: "Exam0ination of Inexorably Racialized Education"
2nd place: Bryce Nishi: "Mushrooms of Many Names"
3rd place: Dalia Suszko: "Mushrooms of Many Names"
CTW 2
1st place: Sophie Rotter-Aboyoun: "Expressions of Gratitude in College"
2nd place: Rhiannon Briggs: "Tradition Shattered: The role of “Co-Eds” at Santa Clara University"
3rd place (tie): Alex Coleman: "Growing Up an Alien: The Effects of Late Diagnosis on Autistic Women"
3rd place (tie): Brendan Plunket :"Motorsport’s Marketing, Monetization, and Maximization"
2019-20
CTW 1
1st place: Samantha Stahl: "Elucidation of the Discordant"
2nd place: Sarah Tartell: "Snapchat Video Recording and Its Impact on Our Memory"
3rd place: Meerah Thompson: Ethnogenesis of Venice, CA
CTW 2
1st place: Kristina Yin: Trisha Nguyen: "Expanding Imagination"
2nd place (tie): Teresa Contino: "Down with the Cap and Gown"
2nd place (tie): Charlotte Zhang: "The Failure to Diversify Within Cultural Identity in America"
2018-19
CTW 1
1st place: Sarah Zazzo: "Disney and Environmentalism: Fantasy or Reality"
2nd place: Zach Heffron: “Seattle's White Denial in an Economic Boom”
3rd place: Alex Reents: “On the Shores of my (more recent) California Journey”
CTW 2
1st place: Kristina Yin: “Racist in the Machine: What are the Causes of Algorithmic Bias”
2nd place: Gabrielle Serena: “Hashtag Campaigns and Viral Activism: Social Media in the Me Too Era”
3rd place: Gabe Reed: “A Critical Examinations of Trash TV”
2017-18
CTW 1
1st place: Ciara Moezidis: "A Letter to the Grave"
2nd place: Alexandria Kissas: “‘Stand by Your Man’date: How Official Commentary on Issues Like TPS Contributes to the Ongoing Debate of Conservatism vs. Liberalism in a College Atmosphere”
3rd place: Fiqir Taye: "Obedience of Authority"
CTW 2
1st place: Kyler Juarez: "Social Media and the Women’s Marches: Feminist or Hinderance?"
2nd place: Katie Byers: "No Drought of Ignorance"
3rd place: Brooke VanSant: "How Fair is Fair Trade?"
2016-17
CTW 1
1st place: Colin Alexander: “The Forgotten Movement”
2nd place: Khiely Jackson: “The California Dream as Seen Through a Golden Bridge”
3rd place: Sibel Fite: “A Rainbow’s Reflected Light”
CTW 2
1st place: Rena Abu-Gharbiyeh: “The Evolution of Sports Broadcasting”
2nd place: Shining Liu: “To Be Inspired: An Exploration of Social Enterprises and Scaling Up”
3rd place: Holly Waggoner : “Women’s Education in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Eastern Asia”
2015-16
CTW 1
1st place: Matthew Robinson: “From Arcadia to a Zillion: A Critical Examination of a Literary Coming of Age”
2nd place: Matilde Saucedo: “The Bedrock of Human Nature”
3rd place: Hannah Kim: “Walking Down the (Sunset) Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Role of Ethnogenesis in Hollywood”
CTW 2
1st place: Miranda Wittmond: “Working on Sex Work”
2nd place: Claire Hultquist: “Yatra Visvam Bhavati Ekanidam: Where the Whole World Meets in a Single Nest”
3rd place: Alexis Amano: “Holistically Human Amputation and the Human Aesthetic”
2014-15
CTW 1
1st place: Avery Ikeda “The Bronco: The Myth, The Legend, The Statue”
2nd place: Ester Young: “Censorship of the Female Body”
3rd place: Angelina Poole: “Political Satire in the Daily Show: It is no laughing matter”
CTW 2
1st place: Ally Mueller: “Sports and Domestic Violence: Correlation of Causation”
2nd place: Laura Kastilani: “Untitled”
3rd place: Tisha Harnlasiri: “The Aristocracy of the American Higher Education System”
2013-14
Lyn Ishizaki-Brown
Sophie Meyer
2011-2012
Edward Nugent
2010-2011
Kyra Johana Sjarif
Amanda Turner
2009-2010
Mary Reynolds
2008-2009
Khanh Le Vu Trinh
2007-2008
Dan Anh Do
2006-2007
Kelsey Maher
2005-2006
Susannah Rooney
Krystal Wu
2004-2005
Mallory Anne Carlson
Leslie Ann Santikian
2003-2004
Griselda Renteria
2002-2003
Alexander M. Weyand
2001-2002
Meghan O'Neill
2000-2001
Jennifer Re
1999-2000
Kelly Vranas
1998-1999
Heather Powell
1997-1998
Yenni Young
1995-1996
Huda A. Al-Msirashi
1991-1992
Samantha Lang
1990-1991
Robin E. Wooding
1989-1990
Matthew J. Ward
1988-1989
William Forrest III
1987-1988
Rafel Roman
1986-1987
Sharon E. Voth
1984-1985
Kevin L. O'Neill
1983-1984
Megan O'Tool