Twenty-eight Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) members will have their writing published in the 2021 issue of PTK’s online literary journal, Nota Bene. Six will receive scholarships for their exemplary entries.
Nota Bene showcases the outstanding writing of community college students. More than 440 entries were submitted to the 2021 competition, which is judged by current and retired college faculty and staff from across the country. The digital issue will be available on ptk.org this winter.
Megan A. Pastore, a student at Tidewater Community College in Virginia, has received Nota Bene’s highest honor, the Ewing Citation Award of $1,000, for her short story, “Brother Fox.” The award is named in honor of the late Nell Ewing, a long-time PTK staff member, and goes to the author of the competition’s most outstanding entry.
Federico De Palma, a student at Orange Coast College in California, has been named PTK’s International Poet Laureate for submitting the best overall poem, “Immigrant’s Song.” He will receive a $1,000 award and will have the opportunity to present his work during one of PTK’s upcoming international events.
Four additional authors will each receive a Reynolds Award of $500 for their impressive entries. The award is endowed by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and honors the memory of the late Donald W. Reynolds, founder of the Donrey Media Group. The Reynolds Award recipients are:
- Julianna Jovillar, College of Southern Nevada, Nevada
- Michelle Legg, Pearl River Community College, Mississippi
- Chelsie Pope, Iowa Western Community College, Iowa
- Nicholas Rossiter, Muskegon Community College, Michigan
The 28 students who will be published in the 2021 issue of Nota Bene are:
Anna Adams, Walters State Community College, Tennessee
“A Cacophony of Consumerism”
Katherine Anderson, Everett Community College, Washington
“Virgil and Homer Cento”
Isaac Carreno, Wayne Community College, North Carolina
“The American Women’s Suffrage Movement: A Journey of Communication and Resilience”
Katie Conte, Bergen Community College, New Jersey
“The Crisis America’s Youth Faces as a Result of COVID-19: The Widening of the Education Gap”
Federico De Palma, Orange Coast College, California
“Immigrant’s Song”
Rolaindjy Desir, Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, Florida
“Hope Keeps Me Alive”
Courtney Gornik, St. Petersburg College, Seminole Campus, Florida
“The Effects of Public and Private Beaches on Coquina Populations”
Kaitlyn Haynes, St. Petersburg College, Seminole Campus, Florida
“The Effects of Public and Private Beaches on Coquina Populations,” “The Effect of Mass-Specific BMR on Body Size”
Jessica Jones, Madison Area Technical College, Wisconsin
“Bad at Something New”
Julianna Jovillar, College of Southern Nevada, Nevada
“Briseis,” “Siege of the Empire”
Asmita Khattri Chettri, Community College of Denver, Colorado
“I Bid You Adieu”
Ryan King, Bristol Community College, Massachusetts
“As Hammers”
Michelle Legg, Pearl River Community College, Mississippi
“Shadows of Our Variety”
Sabrina Lopez, College of Southern Nevada, Nevada
“Space Oddity”
Avery Maltz, Holyoke Community College, Massachusetts
“The Artifact”
Chemyne Michalski, Red Rocks Community College, Colorado
“To Believe is Half the Battle”
Nicole Mulhare, Brookdale Community College, New Jersey
“Our Last Walk”
Joseph Page II, Central New Mexico Community College, New Mexico
“Broken Arrow”
Megan A. Pastore, Tidewater Community College, Virginia
“Brother Fox”
Chelsie Pope, Iowa Western Community College, Iowa
“A Double Reading: The Multiplicity and Gendering of Galadriel”
Jessica Roberts, Pearl River Community College, Mississippi
“Not a Drill”
Ashlie Rodriguez, Miami Dade College, Eduardo J. Padrón Campus, Florida
“Pelo Malo”
Nicholas Rossiter, Muskegon Community College, Michigan
“Til Death Bring Us Together,” “The Spectral Waltz”
Justine Sargent, Palomar College, California
“Witchcraft, Revenge, and Transformation: Male vs. Female Direction in Horror Film”
Peyton Simpson, Labette Community College, Kansas
“Do You Love Me,” “The Heist”
Savannah Stover, Volunteer State Community College, Tennessee
“In My Death, I was Born”
Josie K. Vano, Lakeland Community College, Ohio
“Lacking Language: The Failure of Auditory-Oral Programs for Deaf Children”
T. Lane Williams, Des Moines Area Community College, Iowa
“Whether You Like It or Not”
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.
