Category 4: Personality Profile
Judge: Shannon Rossi, The News Herald
first place
GABBY CHAVARRIA
NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE
Judge Feedback: Here in the United States, we probably don't hear or think about the war in Ukraine quite as much as we should. I think Anastasia Hrukach's story was an important one to tell. The writer, Gabby, allowed Anastasia to tell her own story. I could hear Anastasia's voice coming through. That's important when profiling a person. The story had a fantastic balance of facts and human interest.
SECOND PLACE
COURTNEY ELISECH
DELTA COLLEGE
Judge Feedback: It is quite rare to read a positive story about the COVID-19 pandemic. The writer, Courtney, wrote about the pandemic and its affect on Ivy Smoak's life from this angle. A good personality profile makes the reader want to know more about the person in the story. Courtney shared Ivy's ups and downs, her struggles with the "traditional" publishing industry, and the ways she deals with positive and negative comments on her work. I wanted to learn more about Ivy and her work after reading Courtney's story.
THIRD PLACE
Kathryn Nickell
delta college
Judge Feedback: Kathryn found an incredibly interesting subject for her story. In this case, I think it was important to allow Kevin Spiker to tell his own story. Kathryn did that with a great use of quotations. She also included facts about dissociative identity disorder. Kathryn allowed Kevin to tell his story while being both compassionate about his illness and matter of fact.
honorable mention
SARA MALLORY
SCHOOLCRAFT COLLEGE
Judge Feedback: A great story, well written, about an interesting person.