Eastern Connecticut State University’s Department of English held its annual English Night on Dec. 7. The event recognized students who received scholarships, were inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta national honor society and gave capstone presentations.

Welcoming remarks were given by Benjamin Pauley, chair of the English department. “It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the first in-person English Night we’ve had in two years,” said Pauley refencing the ongoing pandemic. “Every semester is an opportunity for us to celebrate the work that our students are doing.”

Four students received scholarships based on their exceptional efforts within the English major. Alicea Lileshka was awarded the Constance Campo Memorial Scholarship. Campo was a long-time staff member in the English Department. This scholarship is given to a non-traditional student who has excelled in their studies and whose learning interests include gender and diversity issues.

Colleen Goff was awarded the Alexander “Sandy” Taylor Scholarship. Taylor, who passed away in 2007 was an adjunct English professor. This scholarship is awarded to a student that major’s in English and displays a commitment to peace and human rights, as well as an interest in poetry.

Kaylee Blackwood was the winner of the Celia Catlett Prize; Elizabeth Colón was the runner-up. Catlett taught in Eastern’s English Department for 29 years. This scholarship is awarded to an English major with an exceptionally strong capstone project.

The evening continued with the induction of 31 students into Sigma Tau Delta, the national honor society for English. The inductees received a certificate, graduation cords and recited the honor society pledge.

To end the night, select students from Professor Barbara Liu’s “American Gods: Religious Expression in the U.S.” class presented their capstone projects. “We immersed ourselves in the topic through reading, writing about and discussing a variety of primary literary rhetorical texts,” said Liu. “Students completed individual capstone projects meant to show their own scholarly and creative engagement with our topic.”

Students selected to present were Molly Ann Curry, whose project was titled “We Were the Sacrificed: Environmental Conquest as Religious Conquest in Linda Hogan’s Power.” The second student was Allison Green whose project was called “The Cause in His Creation: A Work of Short Fiction.”

The Department of English offers a number of majors and minors as well as courses in support of American Studies, Women’s Studies, teacher certification programs, the Liberal Arts Core (LAC) and the University Honors program. English majors learn to engage with the complexity and versatility of the English language and literature.