The First-Year Student Showcase, hosted by UNC Asheville’s Writing Program, evolved from an essay contest to a celebration of first-year student work. Originally The Gudger, named for former UNCA professor Peggy Jo Gudger, this event is an opportunity for students to showcase their creative and scholarly work through multimodal presentations and displays for an audience of peers and instructors.
In Fall 2019, the showcase expanded to include student work in HUM 124 and FYS 178. Originally an in-person event, our format shifted to an online celebration in Spring 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Fall 2020, we’ve moved the showcase to its own website! The multimodal compositions you’ll find there were nominated by faculty and students and represent the variety and depth of the work students create over the course of their semesters in LANG 120, HUM 124, and FYS 178. These creations include individual research, group efforts, and whole-class collaborations.
Thank you for helping us celebrate not only the students this site recognizes, but also the first-year instructors who dedicate their time and energy to their students, every day, all semester.
Cheers!
Fall 2019
- Sizeism: How Our TV and Media Influence Us to Demonize Overweight People by Evina Love.
- Benevolent Media: How Fat Representation Can Be Harmful by Casey Feiler.
- The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Cities by Kiah Dale.
- Reclaiming Your Funeral Rights: Green Burial by Ashley Goodman.
- Breaking Up With the Catholic Church by Molly Fitzgibbons.
- The Letters of the Asheville Students by Alyssa Michelle.
- Plastic Pollution: The Long Road Ahead by Graham March, Danny Tipps, and Riley Carazo.
- Multimodality in Climate Protest Signs by Karuna Li.
- Collaboration and Conversations by Gabbyu Kirby and Sidney Haga.
- Biodiversity by Miah Goldsborough.
- The Causes of Marine Species Extinction by Alex Guilfoyle.
- Climate Change: Feedback Loops by Madison Lark and Jade Ford.
- Activist Art in Asheville by Evelyn Horton and Taylor McKeon.
- An Inside Look at Japan’s Birthrate by Caitlin Tubilleja.
- Discussing Anti LGBT Laws in Asheville, NC with Roman Kramer by Sawyer Swan.
- The History of Transportation by Tyler Ferriell and James Sinnott-Nadasky.
- What We Discovered by Cassie Miller, Kate Miller, and Madison Lark.
Spring 2019
- See Something, Say Something: Dating Violence & Sexual Assault on College Campuses by Maya Beth Atkins.
- “With Great Power Comes Great Credibility” by Michael Fortini.
- “My Love for this Beautiful Land” by Bonnie Rockwood.
- “Lang. Laugh. Love: Sharing Perspectives & Embracing the Process” by Lauren Dunne.
- “General Education Requirements: Are They Broken and Do We Need to Fix Them?” by Luke Japardize.
- “School Resource Officers and the School to Prison Pipeline” by Nathan Harland for Micah Hayes.
- “The Power of Storytelling” by Rose Ruegg, Abby Meyer, and Rhianna Reckmeyer.
- “Plant Foods and Disease Prevention” by Cassie Dockery.
- “Political Bias in the Classroom” by Jordan Upright.
- “Sexual Assault on College Campuses” by Savannah Trout.
- “The Return of Commercial Supersonic Aircraft” by Gray McNeish.
- “Indigeneity and Climate Change” by Ani Tsingas.
Fall 2018
- “Narratives in Ethnographies” by Isabel Coletti.
- “The Child of a Substance Abuser” by Shannon Copeland.
- “Why Edit the Germ-Line” by Fin Carter.
- “The Basement of the Internet” by Brooke Richardson.
- “Rough Draft #244” by Arden Stockdale-Giesler and Amber James.
- “Mandela” by Mara Shepard-Edwards.
- “We Woke Up: A Writing Re-evolution” by Sylvie Randall and Sydney Wiedbrauk.
- “Summer Camps and Group Dynamics: The Importance of Isolation” by Rose Sink.
- “Loophole of Freedom: Mass Incarceration in the United States” by Harrison Ungert.
- “Food Television for Thought” by Olivia Alpert.
- “Anonymous Writing” by Fin Pray.
- “Electric Cars: Time to Switch?” by Brandon Buckles.
- “Message in a Bottle: Sending Out” by Aryelle Jacobson and Lilly Winters.
Spring 2018
- “Mayberry Undercover,” by Zach Thomas and Bow Rudolph.
- “Abstracts in Environmental Studies” by Olivia Baer.
- “Creating a Cycle: Race and Rhetoric in the Media” by Sofia Medola.
- “Trial by Fire: The Kristine Bunch Story” by Morgan Thornton, Taylor Love, Berrett Brand, Isaac Revia, Mark Griffith, Kristal Rodriguez, Chase Foreman, Keeley Peek, Laruen Bonet, Kellie Lucas, Jacob Boneau, Chloe Carter, Jasmine Washington, and William Nicks.
- “Test Anxiety: A Butterfly in Your Stomach? Or An Elephant?” by Jaelyn Blake.
- “Engineering Isn’t Just Building – It’s a Language” by Vinson Williams.
- “The Invisible Opioid Epidemic: How Pharmaceutical Companies Profit from Native American Lives” by Aidan Wallace.
- “Kristine Bunch: A Tale of Corruption” by Damon Badgett, Raven Bernard, Ian Boyer, Albert Chow, Daniel Dor-El, Jo Anna Epstein, Jack Frederick, Sonny Helms, Andy Hill, Tyler Keller, Britni Landoff, talent, Maya Mahato, Jack McCarthy, Mikal McKee, Nadya Schafer, and Mars Strausbaugh.
- “The Polarization of American Politics” by John Dunham.
- “It Couldn’t Happen Here” by Kathleen Curlee and Jennifer Walls.
Fall 2017
- “Hurdles trans people face in mental health and what we can do to help” by Ashton van Dyke.
- “Asheville’s Viability For Street Performance” by Kenneth Bartholow.
- “Laloba A Story of Revival” by Madison Carson and Nicholas Schneider.
- “Involvement of Race and Ethnicity in Academically Gifted Programs” by Yoselin Rodriguez.
- “Live Music” by Tiffany Bailey.
- “Christopher Columbus Hero or Criminal ProRes” by Aysia Dakota Johnson.
- “Guide to a Successful Research Project” by Mallory Rothrock, Lillian James, and Donavan Hackley.
- “Art and Academia Considering Medium and Message through Poetry and Academic Articles” by Holt Mettee.
- “Ineffective Ways We Talk About Gun Control” by Aubrey Buckler.
- “The Do It Yourself Research Guide” by Anthony Giordano.
- “Environmental Scientists versus Journalists: Writing for Peers and the Public” by Ben Sparrow.
- “To Gap or Not” by Madison Porter.
- “Rhetoric Creates Exclusivity in Environmentalism” by Dru Thompson.
- “Explaining Sound: Genre Analysis of Academic Writing in Music” by Mary Steinbrecher.
Spring 2017
- “The Collaborative” by Hunter Newman, Christopher Avino, Noah Wolfe, Bryanna White, Jesse Miller, Jarrett Gingrich, Evan Craig, Samuel Peterson, Stephanie Thompson, Wayne McCullough, Baylee Gibson, Roshique Jones, Kelso Kelso, Aaron Lowe, Blaine Lowery.
- “The Future of Work and the Social Implications of Technology” by Kathleen Cameron.
- “Imagism” by Audrey Sturdahl.
- “The Importance of Barbeque” by Adee Weller.
- “The Inklings” by Blue Gonzalez.
- “A Natural Privilege: Is Happiness Really Possible for Everyone?” by Taylor Malajati.
- “Pleasure vs Happiness” by Anzy Musewicz.
- “RED” by by Jillian Owens, Dave Huffstetler, Anna Jowaisas, Morgan Conville.
- “Sex with Richard” by Rosie Garris, Grace Mott, Miranda Bucher, and John Czysz.
- “Taste of Waste” by Zac Lopez-Ibanez, Catherine Thompson, Justin Brown, and Emery Sloan.
Fall 2016
- “Battlefield of the Mind” by Jasmine Cox.
- “Beating the Street” by Daniel Bustillo.
- “Do All Lives Matter in Asheville?” by Bella Jackson.
- “Happiness and Wealth” by Claire Griffin.
- “Happiness in Hell” by Sawyer Reinhardt.
- “Homelessness and Healthcare in Asheville” by Kendall Conrad.
- “#MediaChildHood” by Alaina Smith.
- “What’s the Deal with Farm to Table Restaurants?” by Ally Hibbitts.