The Department of Writing and Rhetoric hosted the 7th annual Knights Wright Showcase on February 1, 2017. This showcase is an opportunity for students from the first-year writing program to exhibit their hard work and dedication in refining their composition and research skills. The event was open to the community, and was well received by all.

The showcase featured twenty three poster displays created by the students, two student panels, and an award ceremony led by the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities Dr. Jeff Moore, and the President of UCF, Dr. John C. Hitt. A number of students were recognized for their extraordinary work, including their contributions to Stylus: A Peer-Reviewed Journal of First-Year Writing, various poster awards, and the John C. Hitt Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing, presented by the president himself.

For the first time ever, there was a tie for the first-place recipients of Dr. Hitt’s award. James Buddendorff, author of the article “Analysis of an Online Activity System” and Taylor Rayfield, author of the article “The Desktop as Doctor: Medical Rhetoric in the Emergent Online Context” each received the grand prize of $500, along with a statuette. Our second place winner was Cameron McAllan, author of “Diagrams as an Instructional and Communicative Medium for Engineering Students,” and our third place winner was Amber Steward, author of “Learning to Loosen the Ties.”

The poster presentation winners included Natalie Litten for best research, Kiana Krayeski for best presentation, and another tie for best visual display between Jasmine Rodriguez and Maegan Trinidad.

We thank everyone who attended and supported the 2017 Knights Write Showcase, including Dr. Rick Schell, Vice President and Chief of Staff, as well as Bedford/St. Martin’s Publishers and Fountainhead Press, who generously sponsored the Showcase. The 2018 Showcase will be held in February and we hope to see you there to celebrate another year of exceptional student writing!