Randolph English major wins second place for essays at national convention

Miranda Hudson ’18

Miranda Hudson ’18 recently won second place in the creative nonfiction category for her essays at the 2018 Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society Convention, held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hudson’s award-winning piece, “Orokomono,” was a moving essay about her journey to uncover stories of her Taiwanese grandmother. It sprung from the death of her grandfather in China and her increasing desire to connect with her heritage.

This is now the third year in a row that a Randolph student or graduate has received a major award at this convention. Lindsay Brents ’16 earned first place in the  fiction writing category in 2016, and Katy Boyer ’16 received first place for her short story in 2017.

“Sigma Tau Delta is the largest English honor society in the world, and students from hundreds of colleges submit their work to the convention. Over the years, acceptance into the convention has become more and more competitive,” said Gary Dop, a Randolph English professor. “Since Randolph College started attending the convention and competing for these prizes, our students have continued to stand out and to be recognized for their work. For Miranda’s work to finish in second place in creative nonfiction is remarkable and speaks of the quality of our English program at Randolph.”

Travis Byram ’18

Travis Byram ’18 was also selected to present his work at the 2018 convention and read his essay, “Father Figuring it Out.” The piece was a humorous essay about his own clumsy attempts to understand growing up without a father.