Bentley Brown
Bentley Brown is a rising sophomore at Fordham. Brown grew up in Carefree, Arizona and attended a Jesuit high school, Brophy College Preparatory. Brown’s attempts to capture moments and feelings in vivid detail spawned from being raised in a family of artists and surrounded by art constantly. Brown’s father used to say ‘a painting isn’t finished until you put your soul in it.’ The same is true in writing. What makes a piece powerful is the ‘soul’ or emotion you project into it.

Marlena Gutierrez
Marlena Gutierrez is a sophomore at Fordham. She is an American Studies major and hopes to go to law school when she graduates from Fordham in 2017. Marlena is a proud Texan and enjoys being home, but fell in love with New York. Her love for New York and its beauty inspired her to write her piece on Grand Central Station.

Avery McCaffrey
Avery McCaffrey is from the Washington, D.C. area. She is entering her sophomore year in the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. Currently a marketing major, Avery is interested in the intersection of business and design and hopes to continue fostering her passion for topics such as social entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity.

Pat O’Connell
Pat O’Connell is a rising sophomore at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. His major is undeclared at the moment, but aspires to major in English with a minor in Spanish. He lives in Nashua, New Hampshire, when he is not on campus.

Richard Plunkett
Richard Plunkett lives in Westchester, NY, and attends Fordham College at Rose Hill. He has not yet declared a major. He wrote his paper in response to a Comp II reading that prompted him to reflect on the misconceptions often associated with organic farming.

Teresa Swindal
Teresa Swindal is an upcoming sophomore at Fordham University who is planning to major in Chemistry. Although she now resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, her piece is inspired by her childhood home in Cleveland, Ohio. Teresa was moved to write this essay because she believes, from personal experience, that we should understand and address the role of modern day school segregation in our education system.

Sam Torres
Sam Torres is a rising sophomore at Fordham University. Currently he is considering a major in English and a minor in Communications. Sam is a happy member of the Sports Department at WFUV Radio. His hobbies include playing sports, talking sports, reading just about anything, Twitter, Netflix, and listening to all types of music. He wrote this paper on how a seemingly trivial piece of art in NYC was actually quite profound.

Kelly Tyra
Kelly Tyra is a rising sophomore majoring in English and Communications at Fordham College Rose Hill. Her lifelong interest in film prompted her to examine and expose the often negative influence the Motion Picture Association of America has on the film industry.

Carlos Vieira
Carlos Vieira is a rising sophomore from New Jersey. He is a Psychology major on the Pre-Med track and has aspirations of becoming a dermatologist. His essay identifies a current social problem among college campuses: the illicit use of prescription medication as a means for enhancing performance in the academic field.

Libby Wetzler
Libby Wetzler is a sophomore at Fordham majoring in International Relations. She is from a small suburb outside the greatest city in the world—Philadelphia. She is a coffee and pizza enthusiast. She writes for the Fordham Political Review. This essay explores the serious issue of combatting on-campus sexual assault at Fordham with practical solutions.