Chelsea Sokol wrote “Sylvia Plath’s Master Narrative: Developing her Poetic Voice” to win the North Callahan Essay Award for 2014. She is a double major in English Literature and French.
Chelsea Sokol
The North Callahan Essay prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate whose exceptionally fine essay addresses a subject related to the humanities. An interdisciplinary committee of professors evaluates the essays. Dr. Michelle White, Department of History, Dr. Josh Davies, Department of Modern & Classical Languages, and Dr. Aaron Shaheen, Department of English, formed the 2014 faculty committee.
The late North Callahan was professor emeritus of history at New York University. The University of Chattanooga alumnus wrote extensively about American history. He died in 2005.
Sokol, a senior Brock Scholar, found inspiration in her departmental thesis to write the winning essay.
“I adore Sylvia Plath,” Sokol said. “She was a fascinating person. She was so intense.”
Sokol, a Collierville, Tennessee, native, enjoys reading poetry but does not write it.
Following her graduation in May, Sokol will be teaching English in the southeastern part of France, on the Mediterranean coast. It won’t be the first time Sokol will be in the country–she has studied in France for a summer.
She is also considering graduate school, specifically, a comparative literature program.
Sokol has enjoyed her education at UTC and Chattanooga.
“I love UTC and I love Chattanooga. The Brock Scholars made UTC worthwhile,” she said. “This is a different place to live, when you’re coming from Memphis. I enjoy the mountains, walking, and the biking culture of UTC.”
Read Sokol’s winning essay here.
I love to see such recognition for outstanding writers. Way to go, Che!