The Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program recognizes students’ thought leadership on contemporary issues 

San Diego, CA – March 26, 2021 – Today Cognella announced the Spring 2021 winners of the Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program: Kelly Basil of Eastern Kentucky University, Ismihan Almasa Uddin of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and John Mesaros of Marist College.

The Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program was established in 2018 and provides students with a platform to speak on current issues that matter to them, highlight experiences that are unique to higher education, and share ideas that can inspire social, political, and intellectual change.

For Spring 2021, Cognella asked students to write essays on the relevant and timely topics of pandemics and the future of online learning; policing, social justice, and solutions; and truth, credibility, and “fake news.” The scholarship program judging panel selected one winning essay per topic, and Cognella has awarded each student author a $1,000 cash prize.

“Our three winning essays are thoughtfully-crafted pieces that demonstrate leadership and perseverance, both in hard times and on hard topics,” said Carrie Baarns, Cognella Revisions and Author Care Manager and the overseer of the scholarship program. “But beyond that, I believe our three winners model the beauty and risk of vulnerability that is so necessary in order to initiate genuine change, whether we’re talking about pandemics, policing or fake news.”

In her essay on the topic of pandemics and the future of online learning, Kelly Basil proposes that self-care education should be taught to all ages and levels to better allow all students to succeed within the virtual classroom.

Ismihan Almasa Uddin’s essay on the topic of policing and social justice provides solutions at the macro and micro levels to spread awareness, promote equity, and create communal safety within marginalized communities.

In his essay on the topic of truth, credibility, and “fake news,” John Mesaros argues that we should all take greater personal responsibility in researching valid news sources and participating in constructive conversations across political party lines in the search for truth.

Read the award-winning essays: https://cognella.com/company-hosted-awards/student-scholarship-program/ 

About Cognella®
Cognella® is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella® Academic Publishing, Cognella® Custom, and Cognella® Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella® Press. Learn more at www.cognella.com. 

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Natalie Piccotti
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