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
Why Paper Books?
Fingers as a medium became a data line, connecting my brain to the paper, and words became data transferred to my body.
Why Poetry?
“Although those around me would argue that poetry is comparable to fishing in the sea – a dark, unknown, chaotic abyss, remaining at the pier for hours on end with no promise of reward – it feels instead as though I am fishing for the stars.”
Why Oluwatomisin?
“I was always a little stupefied receiving this question. After all, I thought having a long name was just like having a short one. It was just a name. I didn’t see any difference in it, but they sure did.”
Past Nominees
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2022-2023
- Feb 26, 2024 Why Spanish?
- Feb 26, 2024 Why Christianity?
- Feb 26, 2024 Why Pharmacy?
- Feb 19, 2024 Why Stay?
- Feb 19, 2024 Why Not Arabic?
- Feb 19, 2024 Why Paper Books?
- Sep 28, 2023 Why Poetry?
- Sep 28, 2023 Why Oluwatomisin?
- Sep 27, 2023 Why Immigration Law?