March 7, 2016
Euneata Walker, a first-year student from Chagrin Falls, OH, took first prize in the 2015 Northeast Ohio English Department Consortium’s annual essay contest. Euneata, an art therapy major, wrote an essay titled “Education: A Tool for Survival” for her US 101 Introductory Seminar course, taught by Samantha Syracuse. The essay reads, in part,
I will forever feel that education is our best tool for survival. You could give a person food, water and a home, but if they don’t know how to use the resources provided to them then it is a waste. We are learning every day from teachers, parents, and each other and much like life, it is a never ending cycle. I have come to this philosophy by compiling all my experiences and lessons throughout my life and my time at Ursuline College. Adding to my philosophy along with the ideas of Kohn and Robinson, our mission will be to educate future generations in a way that will aid them in reaching their full potential. Only then can society reach its full potential.
The judge for the contest praised Euneata’s development of her own style and voice, and observed that her essay “did not read as standard, generic pieces of writing. [T]he writer did a lovely job in creating a cultural, sociological discussion, with solid cause/effect reasoning.”
