Biology Major Earns Freshman Writing Prize

Aiken, SC (05/14/2020) — A future veterinarian has earned the annual Mona L. Martin Prize in Freshman Writing, which is given to a first-year student at the University of South Carolina Aiken who demonstrates excellence in expository writing.

This year's highly competitive award, named after a distinguished USC Aiken graduate, goes to Bela Steele. The biology major plans to attend the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine after graduating from USC Aiken.

"Her essay, The DREAM Act, written for Professor [Jim] Saine's ENGL A101 class, displays a mastery of source material in support of her argument in favor of the DREAM Act," said Dr. Andrew Geyer, chair of the English department.

Steele says the reasons she chose to attend USC Aiken were the small class sizes and the opportunities to build relationships with the professors, community, and peers. Her English class helped achieve that goal.

"I would like to thank Professor Jim Saine for providing me with the tools necessary to be successful, not only in his classroom, but throughout my college career," she said.

"He had the confidence in me to work harder to achieve my goals.

"The first semester of freshman year in college can be daunting for students coming from high school, but having professors like Jim Saine definitely makes the transition easier."

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