Photo Caption:
	Winners of the Virginia Martin Prize in Gender Issues are Casey Bock, Caitlin Chciuk and Kyle Brett.

LHU announces student essay contest winners

Virginia Martin Prizes in Gender Issues

March 27, 2012

Lock Haven University is pleased to announce the winners of the first annual Virginia Martin Prizes in Gender Issues. The recipients were announced at the university’s “Let Her Voice Be Heard” celebration on March 22.

The Virginia Martin Prizes were awarded on the basis of essays using gender and women’s issues as the topic, focus of analysis or thematic concern.  The essay competition is open to men and women in all disciplines. 

The first prize award of two hundred fifty dollars was presented to Caitlin Chciuk, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in Writing.  Her essay was entitled “Peace in Times of War: The Mothers of the Disappeared Countering the ‘Dirty War’ in Argentina.” 

The second prize award of one hundred fifty dollars was presented to Casey Bock, a senior majoring in International Studies. Her essay, “Peaceful Resistance in a Violent World,” explored the topic of Palestinian resistance in Lebanese writer Etel Adnan’s novel “Sitt Marie Rose.”

The third prize award of one hundred dollars was presented to Kyle Brett, a junior majoring in English with a concentration in Literature.  His essay was entitled “Loving and Stoking the Serpent: Beatrice-Joanna’s Forbidden Love and Fall in “The Changeling.’”

The awards were made possible by a gift from Associate Professor Emerita Virginia Martin, teacher, scholar, life-long supporter of gender studies and retired faculty member of the LHU English Department.  Professor Martin played a pivotal role in establishing the Women’s Studies Program at LHU.

The Virginia Martin Prizes in Gender Issues will be awarded annually.

Lock Haven University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth.  Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.  Nearly 405,000 system alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

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