The English Department and the Program in Rhetoric and Composition are proud to announce the 2025 winners of the annual Jessie O'Kelly Freshman Essay Award. Qualified submissions were essays written for Composition I or II in the spring or fall semesters of 2024, and submitted for judging in spring 2025.

Lilli Timpe, a chemical engineering student, is the winner of the 2025 $500 scholarship award for her paper "Can Psychedelic Drugs Replace Anti-depressants?" for Mitchell Carabio's Composition I class. Upon receiving the award, Lilli wrote, "I enjoyed my composition courses at the University of Arkansas, especially working hands-on with my peers and instructor, Mitch Carabio. In the future, I hope to be involved in research, where I know composition skills are needed, and use my knowledge to make a difference in the world!"

Mercedes Drummond, an accounting major and administrative assistant in the U of A Finance Department, is runner-up for the award and recipient of a $300 scholarship for her paper "Organic Farming as a Solution to the Global Food Crisis." Mercedes explained, "This was my synthesis paper for Composition I, and I was pleased with how it turned out. After some encouraging words from my class professor, Dr. Sharla Rosenbaum, I thought it was worthwhile to submit it to this contest. While it may not be connected to my chosen fields of study, promoting organic farming and making people aware of the harm that conventional methods can cause is something that is important to me."

Noah Whitlow, an architecture major, is deserving of Honorable Mention for his paper "Men's Mental Health and the Stigma Surrounding It," written for Catherine Heath's Composition I class.

"The essays submitted this year were outstanding," said LewEllyn Hallett, associate director for the Program in Rhetoric and Composition, which oversees the contest. "Every year the submissions demonstrate the goals of our first-year writing courses, to put students on a solid path for developing effective writing strategies and processes that they can apply throughout their college careers and beyond. But this year the essays were excellent and so hard to judge! We are pleased to recognize these exceptional writers."

Jessie Freyschlag O'Kelly, for whom this award is named, was a beloved instructor for the English Department from 1944 through 1968. Upon her death some years later, her colleagues, friends, and students established the Jessie O'Kelly Freshman Essay Award in her honor. We are privileged to maintain this tradition, to honor her and our composition students who do such effective work.

Early in the spring 2026 semester, a call for submissions will go out for the 2026 Jessie O'Kelly Award. Students who have written papers for Composition I or II in spring 2025 or fall 2025 are eligible to enter. Watch for that announcement here and on the Rhetoric and Composition webpage.

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About the Program in Rhetoric and Composition: The Program in Rhetoric and Composition develops and manages writing courses that help students become better writers, thinkers, researchers, and rhetoricians. These courses emphasize the development of the reading, writing, thinking, and research skills and processes necessary for student success in the University and beyond. In addition to first-year writing, the Program offers undergraduate courses in developmental writing, advanced composition, essay writing, and technical writing.