Through the Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program, Cognella awards students with scholarships for writing personal essays on contemporary topics 

San Diego, CA – October 27, 2022 – Today Cognella announced the Fall 2022 winners of the Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program: Mai-Brie Conklin of the University of Florida, Maria Kelley of the University of Connecticut, and Diana Alldredge of California State University, Los Angeles.

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 Fall 2022, Cognella asked students to write essays on the relevant and timely topics of climate change, environmental responsibility, and global health; student activism and social justice; and online learning and the shifting classroom dynamic. The judging panel selected one winning essay per topic, and Cognella has awarded each student author a $1,000 cash prize.

“Each year, our judging panel is inspired by the creativity, thought leadership, and vulnerability students display in their essay submissions, and this year was no different,” said Carrie Baarns, Cognella Revisions and Author Care Manager and overseer of the scholarship program. “We have hope for the future, because our award-winning essays show an equitable, caring, and achievable path forward.”

Mai-Brie Conklin’s essay on climate change, environmental responsibility, and global health begins with the line, “I’ve always been the token granola friend.” The piece explores Conklin’s desire to make a difference, her experiences with eco-guilt, and her belief that sustainability should be treated as an interdisciplinary subject taught across all fields of education and at all levels.

In her essay on student activism and social justice, Maria Kelley shares her experiences in the foster care system and how these experiences inspired her to advocate for fellow students at her university experiencing food insecurity and/or housing insecurity. It also speaks to the concept of compassion fatigue and the importance of self-care when helping others.

Diana Alldredge’s essay on online learning and the shifting classroom dynamic posits that though the transition to online learning in light of the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult, it also brought about distinct opportunities to make education more engaging and accessible. She argues that online education can allow increase access to education and greater levels of global cultural diversification.

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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