State Fair Community College has announced the recipients of the 2023-2024 Writing Scholarship Awards. Katie Staus from Smithton and Ariana Olmedo from La Monte each received a $500 scholarship on May 7 at the Sedalia campus. Staus, a dual credit student, and Olmedo, who will graduate from SFCC this spring, were honored for their outstanding essays.

Staus was nominated by English Composition I instructor Elizabeth Carver for her essay Feeling the Burden, while Olmedo was nominated by English Composition II instructor Dr. Amanda Drake for her essay AI: Harmful or Beneficial.

The Writing Scholarship Awards at SFCC involve nominations by instructors of English Composition I and II and Literature, based on student papers submitted during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. A panel of SFCC faculty and staff then independently selected and ranked the top essays.