Scholarship Winners

The College of Letters and Science is pleased to announce the recipients of the annual Liberal Arts Scholarship offered by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Emma Bruden, a political science major from the College of Letters and Science, and Sarah Roth a secondary education major from the College of Education and Human Services, have each won a $1,000 award. Their essays were characterized by the judges as clearly demonstrating an understanding of the significance of a liberal arts education.

This year's essay prompt, in conjunction with the UW System Liberal Arts Scholarship competition, asked applicants to respond to the following:

Reflect on your own work experience; or interview someone else about his or her work experience. How have the habits of mind and the skills of a liberal education been relevant or advantageous to the challenges posed by the workplace?

Write an essay that makes a convincing case for the practical economic value of liberal education by creating a narrative about a specific workplace. Be sure to carefully illustrate the connections between success at work and a strong liberal education.

Described by one of her professors as able to "understand the most subtle aspects to the philosophical arguments,"  Ms. Bruden provides a perceptive discussion of the prompt in her essay entitled "A Liberal Arts Education: Saving Students from Themselves, One Student at a Time." She discusses her journey through general education courses, which took her from a decision to become a teacher to pursuing the goal of becoming a lawyer.

Ms. Roth built her essay around labor statistics related to a liberal art education and the personal impact of her own Peruvian study abroad experience.   Her essay is entitled "For the Individual, the Community and the Nation."  She makes a fine argument for the value of a liberal education, stating  "An education of diverse subjects lends the individual to be a more employable worker, a more understanding community member, and a more informed citizen."       

We extend our sincerest congratulations to Ms. Bruden and Ms. Roth, and we offer our warmest wishes as they continue their studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Click on the links above to read their winning essays in their entirety.