Regional, Highly Commended Winners at Undergraduate Awards

Congratulations to King’s alumna Emma Wood, '20 BA Honours English Language and Literature and Western Thought & Civilization, who was named as a Regional Award winner in the prestigious worldwide 2020 Global Undergraduate Awards, honoured with the top paper in the region of USA & Canada in the Literature category.

King’s students, past and present, were named as Highly Commended as part of the 2020 Global Undergraduate Awards.

• Zach Matthews, Fourth Year, Honours specialization in Political Science with a Minor in History, was Highly Commended in the Social Science: Anthropology & Cultural Studies category.
• Simon Stan, Fourth Year, Bachelor of Arts Honours specialization in English Language and Literature with a minor in Philosophy, was Highly Commended in both the Literature category (for his paper "Consultation with the Self: The Diary as Speakability in "A Castaway") and Philosophy category (for his paper "The Poetics of Sunyata: Conveying the Unconveyable of Emptiness").
• Christopher Anthony ’19, Bachelor of Arts (4 Year) Honours specialization in Political Science, was Highly Commended in the Politics & International Relations category for his paper “Missing Trans Bodies in the Canadian House of Commons: Paths to Power for Gender-Diverse Canadians.” This was Anthony’s second such honour.

The international awards program recognizes creativity, excellence, and innovative thinking within student coursework. Entrants whose paper or project ranked in the top 10% of submissions in their category are shortlisted as Highly Commended Entrants.

“I am so impressed by these young scholars and yet not surprised considering the depth of their connection to faculty at King’s. Congratulations to Emma as a Regional Winner, to Simon as a two-time Highly Commended this year and to Christopher as Highly Commended for the second year. They demonstrate that King’s is their place to become and I couldn’t be prouder,” says Dr. David Malloy, King’s Principal.

Wood was honoured with the top paper in the region of USA & Canada in the Literature category for her submission “Queer Love and Visibility in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.” Her paper examines the 1920s relationship between heterosexuality and queerness, social visibility and invisibility, and economic mobility and immobility. Along with a close reading of fashion, public shopping, and personal relationships, the essay deconstructs the literary layers of female queer desire and how Woolf, in 1925, manages to create an oasis for sexually fluid and non-conforming women.

Wood would like to recognize Dr. Krista Lysack, Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English, French, and Writing. Dr. Lysack was the instructor of Wood’s special topics course, where Wood was able to create her paper from her teachings, selected readings, and foundational texts. 

“I am very honoured and fortunate to have received this award and greatly indebted and appreciative of the King's community for this opportunity. My peers and I were encouraged to discover our academic voices and interests early on in our academic career,” says Wood. She was also a student of King's Western Thought and Civilization program, which provided a platform and encouragement to explore her research interests in many disciplines.

King’s English, French, and Writing department is thrilled by Wood’s accomplishment. "The English faculty at King's are delighted to learn that Emma Wood has received this distinction. When she submitted the essay as part of her coursework last spring, I found that it was a real pleasure to read. I was struck by its elegance and acuity, by the importance of its argument about queer love. Her deft analysis of public and private spaces in Woolf's novel shows what can be rendered visible through narrative when we expand our understanding of desire. Emma joins a distinguished list of English and King's Scholar students at King's whose research essays have been recognized nearly every year by the Global Undergraduate Awards. You can read some of their names on our website," says Dr. Krista Lysack, Chair.

A contributor to the 2018 issue of the Undergraduate Research Journal, Wood is currently studying in the Masters of English program at McMaster University. Her future research will examine 20th century queer-feminist Canadian literature and, specifically, how sexuality, gender, and race intersect in the settler Canadian landscape. In May, she was one of two English students to have received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship.

"“The King’s University College Alumni Association congratulates Emma Wood, Christopher Anthony, and Simon Stan on these significant achievements. Their work will positively impact current and future students at King’s. We look forward to seeing them progress in their careers and to working with them as alumni," says Jana Gordon, Executive Director, Alumni and Development.

Congratulations also goes to King’s alumna Ishita Kumar, ’20 BA Hons Economics and Mathematics, on being named as the Global Award winner for the top paper worldwide in Economics undergraduate research as part of the prestigious worldwide 2020 Global Undergraduate Awards.

This year the Global Undergraduate Awards received more than 4,100 submissions from more than 380 institutions worldwide. The full list of Global Winners, Regional Winners, and Highly Commended winners for 2020 can be viewed on their website.