Jacaranda Essay Contest
2025
The English Department and the LBCC Foundation are pleased to announce the Jacaranda Essay Contest to acknowledge students for outstanding work in composition and literature classes at LBCC. The essays are assessed by a panel of academic faculty and staff for each category and judged based on composition, format, and documentation.
The English Dept. would like to thank the following judges for their participation: Adira Edmund, Daren Smoley, Geneva Chao, Jeff Wheeler, Thomas Price, Kamisha Sullivan, Robert Defrance, Patrick Arbor, Natalie Djabourian, and Jeffrey Douglas
Persuasive Winner
Jessica Edwards
“Protecting the Crown”
Instructor: Professor Velvet Pearson
Persuasive Honorable
Evan Conkling
“Reclaiming Happiness in the U.S.”
Instructor: Professor Velvet Pearson
Expository Winner
Kristin Atayan
“Sisig and a Dive into Filipino Values”
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
Literary Winner
Parker Dunnegan
“Fishing for Faith: The Postcolonial Reclamation of Hunger in Life of Pi”
Instructor: Professor Allison Murray
Literary Honorable
Katheryn Ortega
“Lembas: Exploring Narratives, Christianity, and the Psychological Substrate of Ideas through the Food of The Lord of the Rings.”
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
2024
The English Department and the LBCC Foundation are pleased to announce the Jacaranda Essay Contest to acknowledge students for outstanding work in composition and literature classes at LBCC. The essays will be assessed by a panel of academic faculty and staff for each category and judged based on composition, format, and documentation.
The English Dept. would like to thank the following judges for their participation: Margaret Shannon, Velvet Pearson, Jeff Wheeler, Lisa Fitzgerald, Daren Smoley, Geneva Chao, Brian Garcia, Jeffery Douglas, Adira Edmunds, Patrick Arbor, Robert Defrance, Natalie Djabourian, Matthew McGaw, and Thomas Price.
Persuasive, Winner
JC Cundell
Privacy in Peril: Rise of the Surveillance State
Instructor: Professor Karen Rose
Persuasive, Honorable Mention
Quinn Lin
An Alluring Bite of Fiction: Chinese Dissemination through Genshin Impact Food
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
Expository, Winner
Lena Paulos
Try the Fry Bread! It’s to Die for!
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
Expository, Honorable Mention
Jenelle Macapaz
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
Literature, Winners
Marie Beccue
Instructor: Professor Allison Murray
Literary Honorable Mention
Scott Hassler
The Flea’s Defense of Literature
Instructor: Professor Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler
2023
The English Department and the LBCC Foundation are pleased to announce the Jacaranda Essay Contest to acknowledge students for outstanding work in composition and literature classes at LBCC. The essays will be assessed by a panel of academic faculty and staff for each category and judges based on composition, format, and documentation.
The English Dept. would like to thank the following judges for their participation: Lee Douglas, Adira Edmund, Brian Garcia, Jennifer Kehret, Matt McGaw, Kathryn McMurray, Pres. Reagan Romali, Kathleen Scott, Daren Smoley, Beatrice Villa, Debra Whittaker.
Persuasive, Winner
Aidan Lee
Fixing America’s Immigration Crisis: Recognize and Reform
Instructor: Dr. Karen Rose, English 3
Persuasive, Honorable Mention
Brittany Robey
Free Community College: An Investment in America’s Future
Instructor: Dr. Karen Rose, English 3H
Expository, Winner
Mason Jones
Critical Success: Technology and the Rise of Tabletop Gaming
Instructor: Dr. Margaret Shannon, English 3
Expository, Honorable Mention
Patricia Olsen
Instructor: Dr. Laura Scavuzzo Wheeler, English 3H
Literature, Winners
Mason Jones
Instructor: Dr. Velvet Pearson, English 4
Olivia Ferguson
Roy Cohn: The Homme Fatale of Kushner’s Angels in America
Instructor: Jennifer Nellis, English 2
2022
Persuasive, Winner
Jessica Ferlazzo
Adoptive Children: The Invisible Student Population
Persuasive, Honorable Mention
A.J. Mackewicz
How to Ease the California Water Crisis
Persuasive, Honorable Mention
Catherine Shannon
Entertaining God in an Artificially Intelligent Heaven
Expository, Winner
Teresa Conboy
Expository, Honorable Mention
Aurelle Garner
No One Deserves to Live in the Closet Forever
Literature, Winners
Beau Garcia
Rebellion Through Literature in Feudal Society
Literature Honorable Mention
Charlotte Win
The Dream House at the Shoreline: Carmen Maria Machado through the Lens of Audre Lorde
Persuasive, Winner
Charlotte Win
Bisexuality: Making One’s Way Beyond the Binary
Persuasive, Honorable Mention
Bryan Tran
Global Migration Crisis Response Strategy
Expository, Winner
Blair Zeno
Expository, Honorable Mention
Danny Lima
’Free Speech!’ Censorship or Folly?
Literature, Winners
Ethan Plante, Timothy Potter
Snuffing the Promethean Flame
The Recruitment of the Twelve Apostles and Their Relationship to Jesus and to Each Other