Twenty-six contestants submitted essays for the Linda Heacock Memorial Fellowships. The 26 contestants, two male and 24 female, represented nine different graduate schools. ODU had nine contestants, George Mason eight, and Marymount and Virginia Tech had two each. Also represented were JMU, Bellevue, Argosy, Capella, and Regent, each with one contestant. With a maximum of 15 points, scores ranged from 14 to 5, with the median being 9. We appreciate each and every submission, and hope that each of you learned something about yourselves and the profession.
Judging required extra time. While the original three judges all agreed on one contestant as a recipient, they each had a different candidate for the second scholarship. There was surprising consistency in our top three candidates, but each judge had a different first place candidate for the remaining fellowship. We then brought in four additional judges from our Executive Committee to review the top three essays. In a squeaker, one candidate achieved three first place votes and the others two each.
Our winners are: