2009-10 Student Essay
Competition
Oakland Community College is
happy to announce the winners of
the 2009-10 Student Essay
Competition sponsored by the
Student Outcomes Assessment
Committee and financially
supported by the OCC Foundation.
This year's winners are:
| First place, $1000 |
David Azad Merian - Bio - Essay (Edited for publication) |
| Second place, $750 |
Peter Calloway - Bio - Essay (Unedited) |
| Third place, $500 |
Amber Siri -
Bio - Essay (Edited for publication) |
| Honorable Mentions, $200 |
Megan Applegate -
Bio - Essay (Unedited)
Joseph Corlett -
Bio - Essay (Edited for publication)
Jeffrey DiGiovanni -
Bio
- Essay (Unedited)
Matt Finlay -
Bio - Essay (Edited for publication)
Justin McBride -
Bio - Essay (Unedited) |
The 2009-10 theme focused on
the role of aesthetics in daily
life and society. Students were
asked to address the following
prompt:
Oscar Wilde
declared, "To
the great poet,
there is only
one method of
music -- his
own. To the
great painter,
there is only
one manner of
painting -- that
which he himself
employs. The
aesthetic
critic, and the
aesthetic critic
alone, can
appreciate all
forms and all
modes. It is to
him that Art
makes her
appeal."
Analyze any
work of
art--including,
but not limited
to painting,
sculpture,
drawing, film,
photography,
dance,
literature,
architecture,
music, and
theater--
evaluating both
intellectual and
emotional
responses that
the work of art
may elicit. For
example, your
essay might
consider your
own perspective
and
interpretation
or compare two
divergent
perspectives of
the piece; it
might explain
relationships
among the
structural
elements of the
work; or based
on historical
research,
explain the
perspective of
the artist as
revealed through
elements in the
work itself.
As these
previous
examples
suggest, you may
use any critical
approach to the
piece, but
repetition of
another author’s
analysis will
not be
acceptable. Your
essay should aim
to make a clear
argument about
the work of art
you have chosen
and must be
supported with
documented
sources.
The 2009-10
Student Essay Contest winners:
First Place, $1,000 – David Azad
Merian
-
Essay
(Edited for publication)
First place winner David
Merian is a first year student
at OCC. David’s long term
educational objective is to
obtain a masters degree in
sociology, film studies, or
both. He wants to enhance his
understanding of film theory by
contextualizing it in history,
economics, psychology, and
sociology. Ultimately, David
hopes to earn a PhD in film
studies. His career objective is
to work as a filmmaker, writer,
scholar, politician, and helpful
member of society.
David’s first place essay is
titled “Hope and Madness: The
Myth of Sisyphus In Little Miss
Sunshine.” He comments on his
subject choice stating, “I chose
to write about the film Little
Miss Sunshine because it
typifies great storytelling --
it is tragic and comedic; it
comments on life wrought with
limitations -- and the absurdity
of people who try to defy those
limitations. Despite the
failures the characters of
Little Miss Sunshine
encountered, they persevered and
grew closer as a family. This
story, while heartwarming,
nevertheless reminded me of an
ancient story from Greek
mythology, The Myth of Sisyphus.
I felt that after viewing Little
Miss Sunshine with the story of
Sisyphus in mind, the connection
between these two stories seemed
real.” With further examination
of the film and supportive
research, David believed he
could articulate these
similarities to a reader.
David graduated from Milford
High School in 2006 and attended
the University of Michigan that
fall where he studied film.
After receiving his degree in
2009, he moved back home to
Milford. There he undertook
enriching the soil of his
sandbox to raise organic
vegetables with his family. He
has learned the art of
home-brewing and enjoys time
with his maternal grandmother.
He currently reads works by Karl
Marx, makes bread from scratch,
reads some more, cooks things
his parents won’t eat, writes,
lives, and works on an
experimental film with his
friend.
David still yearned for
knowledge and the spirit of the
classroom, so he matriculated to
OCC in Winter 2010. According to
David, “being at OCC has been
one of the most rewarding
educational experiences of my
life.” He goes on to say “I’ve
met and learned from more varied
and diverse people here than
anywhere else I’ve been and I’m
endlessly grateful for what OCC
does for its students.”
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Second Place, $750 - Peter
Calloway
-
Essay
(Unedited)
Second place winner Peter
Calloway has been taking classes
at OCC since Winter 2009. Peter
learned of the contest through
an email announcement, and was
encouraged to enter the contest
by his instructor Ray Mort.
Peter has a love for the blues,
Billie Holiday, and a deep
interest in the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s and
similar struggles occurring
before and since. These combined
passions motivated him to write
his essay on "Strange Fruit."
“I’ve been very impressed
with the level of instruction at
OCC and feel as if I’ve grown
quite a bit as a student and as
a person in the last year and a
half.“
Peter intends to transfer to
the University of Michigan to
pursue a double major in some
combination of English, history,
political science, and
international relations. After
that he plans on attending law
school. “I hope to be accepted
into law school at either the
University of California -
Berkley, University of Michigan,
Columbia, or Georgetown.”
Eventually, Peter wants to
practice international human
rights law. Peter states, “I
believe this field offers an
effective tool for fighting
injustice.”
Currently, Peter works as a
production artist doing graphic
design and retouching for
Seventh Street a digital imaging
firm located in Birmingham. He
is a member of Phi Theta Kappa
and will serve as next year's
Vice President of scholarships.
His girlfriend, parents, sister
and three brothers have all
provided immense and meaningful
encouragement as he creates a
new path for his life. He
attended West Bloomfield High
School, and enjoys reading,
retouching, Jeopardy, school,
and most importantly his family
and friends.
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Third Place, $500 – Amber Siri
-
Essay
(Edited for publication)
Amber Siri, the third place
winner has been enrolled at OCC
for two years now. Ultimately,
she plans to pursue a Masters
Degree from the University of
Portland which will support her
goal to be a high school
English/History teacher.
According to Amber "I was
motivated to write on Detroit
because the best pieces of art
are those that hit close to
home. Every forgotten factory
and theatre inside the city
teaches a lesson. It’s the art
we fail to see, and that’s what
makes it important."
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Honorable Mention - Megan
Applegate
-
Essay
(Unedited)
Megan Applegate is currently finishing her minor in History at
Oakland University where she plans to begin a Masters in Education
with a secondary teaching certification. Ultimately, Megan is
interested in pursuing a teaching career.
According to Megan she enjoys literature, and the writings of James Joyce in
particular. Her honorable mention essay “Language and Identity in James Joyce’s
The Dead” allowed her to further explore one of his short stories in greater
detail.
Megan is married and has two children.
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Honorable Mention - Joseph
Corlett
-
Essay
(Edited for publication)
A student since Fall 2008,
Joe Corlett received an
honorable mention for his essay.
Returning to college after 36
years, Joe is a
fifty-four-year-old
self-employed businessman and
has been married for 28 years.
According to Joe, "resuming my
college education is my mid-life
crisis. The regret I’ve carried
about dropping out has not
decreased. Like a festering
wound, the regret worsened with
time. Continuing my education is
the only relief I’ve found."
Joe’s entry was an assignment
in his Art Appreciation class.
"I didn't think I had it in me,
but my instructor was insistent
and encouraging."
Joe is a member of the
Americans United for the
Separation of Church and State,
the American Civil Liberties
Union, and the National Rifle
Association.
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Honorable Mention -
Jeffrey DiGiovanni -
Essay
(Unedited)
Jeffrey DiGiovanni received
an honorable mention for his
essay and he will graduate in
May 2010 with an Associate’s in
Applied Science. After receiving
his degree in Construction
Management, Jeff plans to attend
Eastern Michigan University.
"I chose my topic," states
Jeff, "because I drove by the
place almost every day and
thought the building to be
peculiar, and learned several
interesting things as I did my
research for the competition."
In his off time Jeff enjoys
playing Chopin compositions on
the piano.
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Honorable Mention - Matt Finlay
-
Essay
(Edited for publication)
Honorable mention candidate
Matt Finlay chose to write on
Michelangelo and Donatello to
point out that two artists need
not be alike to elicit reactions
from us. "I believe that
different religions can invoke
reactions from us which suggests
that one religion isn't more
important than another, but are
equally important."
Matt has been attending
classes at OCC for almost two
years. He is currently taking
liberal arts courses and plans
to focus his studies on history.
"I find liberal arts appealing
because it allows exposure to an
array of areas which provides a
broader understanding of
numerous topics." He is drawn to
studying history and finds that
as he learns about history, he
also learns about himself in the
process. "I feel that people,
regardless of the era, tend to
invoke parallel traits."
Matt is in the process of
identifying the field in which
he would like to work. “I’ve
received support from a
considerable number of people
and I want to do the same
through the profession that I
ultimately choose.” According to
Matt, "I also believe in the
adage that 'we are students for
life'". In his spare time, Matt
enjoys watching the Red Wings
and playing golf.
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Honorable Mention Justin McBride
-
Essay
(Unedited)
Justin McBride wrote his
honorable mention essay on the
film The Matrix "because it
sparked a great deal of
philosophical debate...I wanted
to write about the more relevant
topics in detail."
Justin is taking classes at
OCC before he transfers to a
four year institution where he
will pursue a Bachelor’s and
then a Master’s degree in
Journalism or Secondary
Education with a focus on
English. He aspires to be a
journalist, or an English
teacher where he can help young
students foster their own
writing talents while continuing
to write freelance himself, "I
aspire to be a high school or
college English teacher, or to
become an entertainment
journalist focusing on movies,
music, video games and/or
technology. Perhaps I could do
both...teaching by day and
writing freelance by night."
Justin was born and raised in
Detroit. "From a young age, my
parents instilled the importance
of a strong education, both of
them coming from educational
backgrounds." Justin’s mother
was an elementary school teacher
and his father is a retired
police officer who taught at the
Police Academy.
Justin spends a great deal of
his spare time writing articles
for his website,
The Mind of Game as well as
writing short works of fiction
and screenplays. "Writing is my
passion, one that I take a great
deal of pride in." He is also a
passionate video gamer which has
allowed him to write for a
website called Talk Xbox.
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