Exceptional

First-Year Writing

The Rutgers Writing Centers’ Exceptional First-Year Writing initiative spotlights outstanding reflective essays written for College Writing, the University’s first-year writing course. Essays are developed in response to the first project of the course, which asks students to read as writers - to demonstrate an understanding of the form and rhetorical strategies of an assigned text, Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Why Italian?” - then apply these strategies toward their own personal reflection.

2023-2024 Nominees

Samad Arastu
Ashley Arkais
Minahal Azhar
Vivian Cheng
Bailley Georgieva
Jose Jimenez Gratereaux
Charlie Heap

Ariel Ifrah
Sarah Jung
Matthew Kalender
Aileen Lim
Joshua Mariano
Peter Palles
Ruqayya Pervez

Amisha Raikar
Colin Scerbo
Brynn Sillick
Brandon Son
Amy Walejewsky
Sophia Wyllie
Adams Yakubu

Charlie Heap Charlie Heap

Why Tattoos?

It was a split decision. Or was it? Was it an impulse that caught my attention? No, it was an avalanche.

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Ashley Arkais Ashley Arkais

Enigma of Butterflies

“Even now, with time stretching out before me, the sight of those brown butterflies sends shivers down my spine, an ever-present reminder of the fragility of existence. Every flutter of their delicate wings is a silent warning, urging me to remain vigilant, to brace myself for the trails ahead.”

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Ariel Ifrah Ariel Ifrah

Why Church?

“My parents, mentors, teachers, and friends would only teach Jewish law and history so it was all I ever knew. In spite of the environment that I was being raised in, I made an unexpected decision to volunteer my Sundays to help out at the local Church a few months after I turned twelve years old.”

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Past Nominees

2022-2023

Fatema Agami • Mimi Ali • Leora Benson
Pranav Chandra • Saber Chen • Jenna Chen
Emily Cortes • Alana Healy • Joelle Montillo
Tomi Rosiji • Mariam Saad • Ashley Sanchez
Eva Scioscia • Jason Sipiran • Mabel Yuen