First Gen Proud Essay Contest
The Department of English is excited to announce our Inaugural 1st GEN PROUD ESSAY CONTEST!
This contest showcases the achievements of our first-generation students at all stages of their academic careers. We invite first-generation students to submit short personal essay that respond to the following prompt:
What does First Gen Proud mean to you? What makes you proud to be a first-generation college student? What strengths do you have as a first-gen student and how have your experiences supported your academic career?
Essay submissions should be between 500-700 words. Submissions will be blind reviewed by faculty judges from the Department of English. Two prizes will be awarded at the undergraduate level; One prize will be awarded at the graduate level.
Eligibility
Students must be 1st generation college students to apply
Only 1 submission per student
Submission Deadline
Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at 11:59pm CDT
Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, April 26, 2023, from 5-6pm
Submission Portal Opens March 28
A first-generation student is someone whose parents/guardians did not complete a four-year college degree or a student raised by a single parent/guardian who did not complete a four-year college.