2017 Winners

Academic Division

First: “Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders: Onset, Prognoses, and Impact” by Jordan Tinkle, a senior chemical engineering major from Shelbyville, Indiana. Tinkle says her family consists of her mother, Lori, her father, David, her sister, Madison, and her newly adopted brother, Caleb. She is currently applying to IU medical school in the hopes of attending there in Fall 2017. She avidly drinks coffee and tea, loves to read and draw to relax, and considers long walks along city streets and forest trails to be one of the best uses of time.

Second: “The Impact of Plastic Pollution” by Mycah Houser.

Third: “Detection and Prevention of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis Infection in Dairy Cattle: A Review” by Nicole Walters, a senior chemical engineering major from Sunbury, Ohio. Walters is involved with the Christian Campus House at Trine and plays the trumpet in Trine's marching band and wind ensemble.

Creative Nonfiction Division

First: “Poison” by Alexis DeLancey-Christiansen, a senior professional writing and English studies and communication major from Angola, Indiana. DeLancey-Christiansen says she spends a lot of her time writing and the rest of her time playing video games.

Second: “Handsome Goodbye” by Stevie Rosales.

Third: “The Salt and The Penny” by Mycah Houser.

Honorable mention: “Zucchini Heaven” by Maria Till, a freshman psychology major from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Till says she is a hard-working student who juggles a part-time job and volunteer work around the community. She enjoys working with children and bringing a smile to the people around her.

Fiction Division

First: “Lone Wolf” by Mycah Houser, a sophomore English and communication major from Valparaiso, Indiana. In biographical information submitted with her work, Houser says the only thing that excites her more than reading and writing is sipping a cup of hot chocolate during a quiet winter morning. When she isn't writing, she can often be found painting playing the guitar, or goofing around with her friends.

Second: “Fly Again” by August Buehrer, a senior music major from Angola, Indiana. Buehrer says she loves all forms of art and creativity, but has a special fascination with writing. She credits her creativity to an imaginative childhood with five siblings.

Poetry Division

First: “I Rode a Dragon Today” by Jordan Blank, a junior English education major from Montpelier, Ohio. An avid reader and creative writer, Blank works during the school year as a writing consultant and tutor in Trine's Writing Center, a job she enjoys immensely. Her favorite activity is traveling abroad, which provides her the opportunity for new experiences and adventures. Her goal is to teach English internationally.

Second: “Distant Memory” by Stevie Rosales, a junior math education major from Adrian, Michigan, who enjoys writing, reading and drawing in her spare time.

Third: “House Upon the Hill” by Elijah Thiess, a freshman communication major from Reading, Michigan, who likes to read books and be outdoors in his spare time.

Honorable mention: “Christmas is Near” by Sydney Ilko, a freshman elementary education major from Greenwood, Indiana. An only child, Ilko enjoys drawing and playing with her dogs in her free time.