Jack Godfrey Memorial Scholarship

At the University of Maryland,  is majoring in English and minoring in history and creative writing. She is a student and leader of the Jimenez-Porter Writers House, in which writers of all disciplines room and write together at UMD. Nora is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the National Collegiate English Honor Society, as well as a consistent member of the Dean's List; she’s maintained a 4.0 GPA in her higher education. Nora is the apparel chair of University of Maryland Women's NCAA Rugby, as well as a skilled player. Nora recently completed an internship with the Dickinson Electronic Archives, based at the University of Maryland. She’s currently an assistant editor at Sagging Meniscus Press.

Alison Clingan grew up in Hagerstown, MD, with her two brothers, who she was homeschooled with in her childhood. She attended a selective arts high school, Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, which gave her passion and drive for writing. Currently Alison is a junior English major with a creative writing minor. She is also part of the Jiménez-Porter Writers' House. She has been a copy-editor for The Diamondback, and is currently a poetry editor for Stylus. Alison is also the secretary of UMD Gymkana, a gymnastics/acrobatics/circus group.

Ella Gammel is an English undergraduate student at the University of Maryland College Park. She stays involved with theatre on campus by working at the Clarice as a production management crew member. She has also acted in Maryland Shakespeare Players' production of Much Ado About Nothing. She is a member of the Honors Humanities College and currently works as the Council Secretary/Historian. 

Joyce Li is a junior psychology major and creative writing minor, as well as a member of the Jimenez-Porter Writers' House. Joyce was also a member of the Honors Humanities living-learning program during her first two years at UMD. Additionally, Joyce finds great fulfillment in volunteering at Help Center, UMD's peer counseling and crisis intervention hotline. She is a research assistant in several labs on campus, including the Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab. Joyce hopes to attend graduate school for counseling psychology, and she hopes to write a novel someday. She has been reading and writing since kindergarten, and she believes that stories are a beautiful way to practice empathy, express creativity, and explore possibilities. 

Celia Cook is a junior English and Psychology major, with a concentration in creative writing. She spent her first two years at UMD as part of the College Park Art Scholars Program, and will spend her final two years as part of the Jimanez-Porter Writer's House (JPWH). Cook is also the President of the Novelist Support Group, a club within JPWH, that seeks to help others edit, storyboard, and complete their novels. She began writing at the age of twelve, when she penned the first draft of what would become her fantasy novel Rise of the Ieta. Her second novel will be debuting soon, and she hopes to continue writing short stories and novels long after she has graduated. Her writing aims to celebrate LGBTQIA+ and female characters, often through fantasy and sci-fi stories. Cook's writing is also heavily inspired by her many travels from her childhood. Cook hopes to continue spreading joy through her stories. Her ambitions in writing are only paralleled by her thirst for knowledge of the world around her.

Jack is a senior English major with a track in Creative Writing and is expected to graduate in the spring. He has been reading from a very young age, but it wasn't until an assignment in high school that he discovered his passion for writing stories. Beyond his will to write, Jack has always wanted to help others in whatever small ways he can. He is always willing to listen to others and just really be present when he is needed. If you don't catch him writing or talking to himself about a new story to write, you'll usually find him talking to others and listening to their problems.

Mackenzie is a senior journalism major, and plans to graduate this upcoming spring. She grew up outside of Boston and chose to attend the University of Maryland because of the school spirit and all the opportunities in Washington, D.C. SHe has always loved to tell stories, and is interested in eventually working as an investigative reporter to bring awareness to underreported issues in society. While she loves journalism, her real passion lies in creative writing, and it is her dream to publish a novel someday. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, and she has always tried to incorporate travel into her life in any way possible, whether it be through volunteer work or study abroad.

Carolina Meurkens is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park studying German and Violin Performance. She is a member of the Jimenez-Porters Writers House and hopes to pursue a career in fiction writing. Carolina is also passionate about integrating the Arts and Activism, which lead to the foundation of the initiative An Indivisible Arts Collective. So far the collective has cohosted outreach events at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York and Right Proper Brewing Company in Washington, D.C. The concerts showcased visual art, spoken word, original music, and other modes of artistic expression, while raising money for local and international non- profits.

Asma is a sophomore Dean's List student at the University of Maryland studying Criminology & Criminal Justice and Computer Science. She is a research intern with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism as well as a content creator for the Odyssey Online. She enjoys expressing herself creatively through her writing and artwork, which she does in her spare time along with playing piano and watching Parks & Recreation.

Alana Pedalino is a junior journalism major at the University of Maryland. She manages a blog for MaDCap, a Washington, D.C.-based podcast; acts as the copy desk chief for The Diamondback, the university's independent student newspaper; and contributes to The Aquarian Weekly, a N.J.-based alternative music weekly. She aspires to become an executive editor and/or have her own globetrotting television show like Anthony Bourdain. She loves art, fashion, cats, vinyl records, writing, poetry and editing.