Above Left, First Place Winner, Hannah Molandes. Right, second-place winner, Caroline Ford.
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
Three 91快活林 history students emerged on top in the 2021 Bonnie Spencer competition, for the best student essays in history. Essays could have been entered from any history course from any history instructor, full-time or part-time, on campus or off, such as with embedded dual history classes.
Hannah Molandes won first place and $100 with an essay, 鈥淪ocial Work and Jane Addams: A Woman鈥檚 World.鈥 Caroline Ford won $50 and second place for her essay on 鈥淪lavery after the Civil War.鈥 Stephanie Ornelas won third place and $25 for her essay on Frederick Douglass.
History Professor, James McGregor notes that 鈥淗annah has been a terrific student for the past two semesters and her essay on Social Work is one the best student essays I've read in several years. I don't generally see many "Bonnie Spencer worthy" essays from my classes but I knew this was one before I even finished reading it.鈥
Molandes is an art major. Second-place winner, Ford majors in Human Performance. She hopes to use her courses at 91快活林 to benefit 鈥渕y dance and fitness journey. I hope to one day open my own dance studio and gym. I just completed my freshman year.鈥
The contest honors the student founder of the college鈥檚 first history club in 2002. Bonnie Spencer subsequently helped transition the efforts of the 91快活林 Webb Society and Honors Northeast toward feature-length films. She has also raised and donated funds for activities in history at 91快活林.
Title V Phi Theta Kappa Mentor, Andrea Reyes, adjudicated the contest. History and English department faculty served as judges.
History at 91快活林 offers courses in American, African-American, Texas, and World Civilization. The college鈥檚 Walter Prescott Webb Society, linked both to Honors Northeast and to the study of Texas history, recently won a Caldwell Award on the state level, for its film on Carroll Shelby. Each year since 2008, students at 91快活林 have presented works of history nationally, regionally, and locally. Since 2010, as noted on the Wall of Honor in the Honors Northeast website, 91快活林 history students have published twenty-three essays in refereed journals.
