Congratulations to the English Department’s CHaSS Award Winners
The English Department is thrilled to recognize three students who received College of Humanities and Social Sciences awards: Dorcas Anabire, Wesley Mathis, and Kyla Dahle.
Dorcas Anabire, majoring Technical Communication and Rhetoric, received the Graduate Student Instructor of the Year award. On receiving the award, Dorcas comments, “As a teacher, my goal is to help students develop the skills they'll need for their future careers and to connect those skills to real-world contexts. I achieve this through collaborative projects with university community partners and international nonprofit organizations. Receiving this award affirms the value of my work and serves as a reminder that there is still more to be done to shape my student's learning experiences.”
The Doctoral Student Researcher of the Year award went to Wesley Mathis, who is also studying Technical Communication and Rhetoric. Wes’ current research studies the link between ableist conversations around (dis)abled bodies and ineffective water management in vulnerable areas of the arid West. “I’m thrilled as a technical communication scholar to be working with other disciplines on important issues communities in Utah face right now. I’ve spent a lot of time building bridges between my program and with other campus groups like the Institute for Land, Water, and Air. The great thing about technical communication and rhetoric is that it can really benefit other fields and organizations whether they recognize it or not, but they won’t recognize it until they trust the researcher,” Wes reflects. “I feel honored that others have come to trust me and believe in the type of research that I do. I’m grateful for the CHaSS Doctoral Research of the Year award because it can spread the word on what other students in my program can do for the university.”
Undergraduate creative writing student, Kyla Dahle, was recognized as the CHaSS Valedictorian. “I remember standing on Old Main Hill at six years old, dramatically throwing my fist into the sky and saying, 'I'm gonna go to USU someday.' To an outsider, USU could seem like just another university in the middle of Nowheresville, but it was my dream school. In addition, from an outside perspective, fancy awards like valedictorian sound good, but I'm honestly most proud of the way I've challenged myself these last four years in quiet moments that will receive no recognition or honor. There may be times that others minimize or don't understand your dreams, and other times that you may be considered successful and important,” Kyla says. “My experience at USU has reminded me that we don't need to define our dreams or accomplishments by what others have decided is worthwhile or impressive. If we can silence the noise around us telling us what is most valuable, I truly believe we will find and create a version of ourselves that will take us places we never thought possible.”
The English Department is proud to celebrate these students and their many accomplishments!