Undergraduate News
spring 2024
Wachs Writing Competition
Jacqueline and Morris Wachs
DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH & ITALIAN
WRITING COMPETITION
Students are invited to submit a critical essay (topic open) of approximately 5 pages. The essay should be written specifically for the competition but may be a revised paper from a class taken at Vanderbilt. All entries will be judged on originality, rigor of argument, grammar, as well as idiomatic expression.
CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION
Students are invited to submit a creative text (a short story or a poem for example) of no more than 5 pages. This creative work should be written specifically for the competition but may be a revised paper from a class taken at Vanderbilt. All entries will be judged on originality, grammar, as well as word/expression choice.
Please submit your entries to sadie.nischwitz@vanderbilt.edu
by Friday, March 29, 2024.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Jacqueline and Morris Wachs both taught for many years in the Department of French & Italian and were well known for their interest in developing students’ writing abilities. In their memory, we sponsor the essay and creative writing competitions each year.
Pi Delta Phi 2023-2024 Initiation
On March 4th, 2024, the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Alec Freedman
Alexa Abrams
Ava Hendrickson
Cullen Allen
Daniel Putnam
Elliott de Boer
Jordan (McKay) Lucas
Madalyn Bergman
Sofia Prieto
William Parrack
Yisu Yang
Zoe Shulman
Honorary Inductee
Professor Alexis Finet, PhD
SENIOR AWARDS
TBD!
spring 2020
SENIOR AWARDS
GARDNER PRIZE IN FRENCH – The Gardner Prize is awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in French.
Kyle Gavulic was the recipient of this year’s award.
LANCASTER PRIZE IN ITALIAN – The Lancaster Prize is awarded to to a graduating senior for excellence in Italian. Katie Reneslacis was the recipient of this year’s award.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION FOR MERITORIOUS WORK IN FRENCH – The French Consulate in Atlanta presents books to graduating seniors for meritorious work in French. This year’s prizes were awarded to:
Zachary Bucta
May Donahue
Leoncia Gillespie
Sarah Whitaker
Yunshu Yang
WACHS WRITING COMPETITION
WACHS PRIZE IN FRENCH
1st Place Creative – Serena Musungu for Le droit au choix
Honorary Mention – Ashley Suh for L’esprit de l’homme et de la femme
1st Place Essay – Zach Buchta for L’égoïste et l’altruiste :Un conte de deux théories de la criminalité
Honorary Mention – Isabelle Krieger for La société, voilà mon théâtre : La fonction du rôle du détective fondé sur les œuvres de Eugène Vidocq et Emile Gaboriau
WACHS PRIZE IN ITALIAN
1st Place Creative – Kevin Re for Un paesaggio, due storie
2nd Place Creative – Alessandro Colangelo for Scatola
1st Place Essay- Matthew Nelson for La dolce vita, Analisi
2nd Place Essay – Lela Udry for La solitudine dei numeri primi
French alumna Sarena Martinez ’16 selected as a 2020 Rhodes Scholar!
Sarena Martinez, a 2016 graduate who majored in psychology and minored in French, was recently selected as a 2020 recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Martinez is one of only 32 scholars selected from almost 1,000 applicants from across the United States. The Rhodes Trust provides scholars with financial support to pursue a degree of their choice at Oxford University. Established in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award in the world.
Click here to read full article
Fall 2019
Phi Delta Phi Initiation
On November 1st, the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Marcus Bennett, Zachary Buchta, Noah Butler, GeGe Clements, Elizabeth Fashakin, Leoncia Gillespie, Deniz Gungor, Brian Hills, Kira Hinchey, Caroline Jones, Schuyler La Barge, Grace LaFrentz, Madeleine Nicholson, Kesean Tyler
Spring 2019
SENIOR AWARDS
GARDNER PRIZE IN FRENCH – The Gardner Prize is awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in French. Audrey Hommes was the recipient of this year’s award.
LANCASTER PRIZE IN ITALIAN – The Lancaster Prize is awarded to to a graduating senior for excellence in Italian. Stephanie Schor was the recipient of this year’s award.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION FOR MERITORIOUS WORK IN FRENCH – The French Consulate in Atlanta presents books to graduating seniors for meritorious work in French. This year’s prizes were awarded to:
Benjamin Farhi
Selina He
Victoria Herring
Madeleine Sherburn
WACHS WRITING COMPETITION
Wachs Awards in French
1st Place (tie) – Charlie Hackemer for La Journée
1st Place (tie) – Colleen Murray for Dans les bois
Honorary Mention – Kyle Gavulic for En sa Mémoire
Prix d’encouragement – Elliot Jaffe for Vue sur les montagnes
Prix d’encouragement – Xuanxuan Chen for Chére Pomme de terre
Wachs Awards in Italian
1st Place Poetry – Stefano Scotti for Poema di lavoro
2nd Place Poetry – Katie Reneslacis for Nel Momento giusta prima di morire
1st Place Prose- Roman Bacchetta for Polipo
2nd Place Prose – Alessandro Colangelo for Intervista
VIF TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS
Travel awards for Study in France
Spring 2019
- Kai Davis, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Klara Lou, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
Fall 2018
Phi Delta Phi Initiation
On November 1st, the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Abigail Bell
Tajeira Bonner
Nathalie De Benedetti
Kyle Gavulic
Benjamin Farhi
Charles Hackemer
Victoria Herring
Audrey Hommes
Theo Kandel
Madeleine Sherburn
Christina Wang
Yunshu Yang
Spring 2018
SENIOR AWARDS
GARDNER PRIZE IN FRENCH – The Gardner Prize is awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in French. Andrew Blank was the recipient of this year’s award.
MAXWELL LANCASTER PRIZE IN ITALIAN – The Lancaster Prize is awarded to to a graduating senior for excellence in Italian. Julita Hornsby was the recipient of this year’s award.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION FOR MERITORIOUS WORK IN FRENCH – The French Consulate in Atlanta presents books to graduating seniors for meritorious work in French. This year’s prizes were awarded to:
Dylan Ashbach
Yiran Chen
Jared Eckman
John J Robey
Elizabeth Winter
WACHS WRITING COMPETITION
Wachs Awards in French
1st Place (tie) Critical- Elizabeth Winter Le Corps Contesté : Oppression, Répression et Résistance de La Répudiée
2nd Place (tie) Critical- Jenna Beasley for Le Rejet d’un paradis terrestre: l’intertextualité dans Les Grandes Marées
2nd Place (tie) Critical- Bianca Herlory for Racine Carrée
1st Place Creative- Elizabeth Reidy for La falaise des marguerites
2nd Place (tie) Creative- Grace LaFrentz for Fille Flottante
2nd Place (tie) Creative- Nathalie De Benedetti for Le Procès des Papiers
Wachs Awards in Italian
1st Place -Marissa Caporella
1st Place – Charles Jin
1st Place – Sophia Kekes-Szabo
1st Place – Caleb Peart
2nd Place – Kristen Wensenseel
2nd Place – Dino Puppo Tito
VIF TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS
Travel awards for Study in France
Spring 2018
- Tajeira Bonner, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Charlie Hackemer, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
- Selina He, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Theo Kandel, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Shanel Knox, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Lindsay Williams, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
Summer 2018
- Kyle Gavulic, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Colleen Murray, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Sarah McKenzie, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Abigail Bell, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
- James Weiny, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
Fall 2018
- Zach Buchta, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- GeGe Clements, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Elizabeth Geer, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
2017 Fall
Phi Delta Phi Initiation
On December 1st the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Undergraduates:
Dylan Ashbach
Adrienne Brauch
David Castor
Maya Hardrick
Nicole Jenkinson
Milan Joshi
Clee Malfitano
Kristen Mancini
Saquib Rahman
John Robey
Elizabeth Winter
Graduate Students:
Sarah Arvidson
Anthony Contreras
Honorary:
Raisa Rexer
Spring 2017
SENIOR AWARDS
GARDNER PRIZE IN FRENCH – The Gardner Prize is awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in French. John Simpson was the recipient of this year’s award.
LANCASTER PRIZE<The Lancaster Prize is awarded to to a graduating senior for excellence in Italian. Hudson Peters was the recipient of this year’s award.
FRENCH GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION FOR MERITORIOUS WORK IN FRENCH<The French Consulate in Atlanta presents books to graduating seniors for meritorious work in French. This year’s prizes were awarded to:
Meredith Bradshaw
Hannah Resnick
Rachel Sapp
WACHS WRITING COMPETITION
Wachs Awards in French
1st Place Essay- Chloe Ibsen for L’angoisse du subjonctif
2nd Place Essay- Audrey Hommes for “Le Horla” et la syphilis
1st Place (tie) Creative- Vanessa Berghoff for La Provence, Une Petite Merveille
1st Place (tie) Creative- Arianna Nimocks for Une ode à un tournesol dans un jardin de légumes
2nd Place Creative- Kyle Gavulic for La plus difficile ascension
Wachs Awards in Italian
1st Place Essay- Kevin Re for Una Nuova Vita per i Russo
2nd Place Essay- Stephanie Schor for Machu Picchu
1st Place Creative- Nicole Cox for I Corpi Belli
2nd Place Creative- Gabrielle Dyson for Uccello Piccolo
VIF TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS
Travel awards for Study at Vanderbilt in France
Fall 2017
- Nathalie De Benedetti, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Elexia Coleman, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Victoria Herring, Claude and Vicenette Pichois Scholarship
- Corinne Owen, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Marisa Stieber, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
Spring 2017
- Yiran Chen, Jayne L. Drushal Scholarship
- Hannah Dighton, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
- Elizabeth Winter, Franklin Brooks Memorial Award
2016 Fall
Phi Delta Phi Initiation
On December 1st the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Jacob Abell
Richa Bijlani
Alexandra Nickerson
Marissa Davis
Kristen Nordham
Meredith Bradshaw
Agnes Bell
Emma Hollingsworth
Niina Kurki
Alexa LaBarbiera
Meghan McGinley
Robert Barsky, Honorary
Also pictured are President Hannah Resnick and Exchange Student Alexandra Astier.
2015 Fall
On December 4th the following French Undergraduate students were initiated into the French honor society, Pi Delta Phi:
Lauren Alexandra Brooks
Renzo Antonio Costa
Sophia Karyn Cramer
Michael Paul Frankland
Bonnie Marie Griffin
Mary E Gwin
Lucy J Hall Hartley
Olivia Ruth Huddleston-Boatman
Ariane Marie Huet
Changlin Ke
Margaret C King
Katharine Patricia Linek
Emmett Zane McKinney
Madison Erin McMurray
Caroline P Nicholas
Hannah Melody Resnick
Gianna R Strand
Kate Slater Thomson
Gideon Ticho
Paige Christine Wilson
Spring 2015
ARTS AND SCIENCE FOUNDER’S MEDAL
A gold medal is awarded annually to the top graduating student from each school in honor of founder Cornelius Vanderbilt, who endowed the awards. This year DANIELLE BEAUJON, French and European Studies major, was named the College of Arts and Science Founder’s Medalist. Taking a wide range of courses early in her Vanderbilt career, Danielle developed new and provocative ways of looking at the world by studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. A course there on North Africa inspired her honors research. Beaujon’s honors thesis in the Department of History compares the experiences of two populations of refugees who fled from Algeria to France in 1962. Fluent in French, she carried out research for her project in government archives in Marseilles. Beaujon also participated in Momentum Dance Company, tutored refugee children at LEAD Academy Middle School and performed with Vanderbilt Off-Broadway. Following graduation, Beaujon will pursue a Ph.D. in French history. She plans a career as a professor of history
DANIELLE BEAUJON with Lynn Ramey