January 26, 2016
La Roche College Student Receives Honorable Mention in Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 26, 2016 – Kordell Leshon Collins, a freshman at La Roche University, was recognized at Carnegie Mellon University’s 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards Ceremony.
Established in 1999 by Jim Daniels, professor of English at Thomas Stockham Baker University, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards are open to high school and college students in the Pittsburgh area. The contest seeks personal narratives on racial prejudice and discrimination.
The 2016 award recipients presented their narratives at a ceremony in the university’s Rangos Ballroom on Monday, Jan. 18. Mr. Collins received an honorable mention in the college prose category for his essay, “Understanding the Details.”
“I chose to write for this prompt because it was in relation to a topic that I could relate to from a personal experience,” Mr. Collins said. “I wrote about the personal experience of racial injustice that I had once experienced in high school, and what legacy Martin Luther King Jr. left for the world.”
Mr. Collins, of Alexandria, Pa., is majoring in biochemistry at La Roche. He is a graduate of Juniata Valley High School.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts college in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, six graduate degree programs and one doctorate program, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential college provides a vibrant campus community for more than 1,400 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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