"I was very blind-sided and very humbled when I learned I was going to receive the award. I was sure it would have gone to one of my peers; there were so many great, inspiring students in the 2015 graduating class. When I accepted the award, I tried to credit my peers as much as possible, trying to really give it back to them as much as a I could—it was an immense honor, and I felt very grateful to the program as a whole for it . . . . I want to leave a special shout out for everyone on the original WRSO E-Board, first and foremost. Plus Patrick Berry and Eileen Schell for being great advisers (even if Patrick always did it in an unofficial capacity) and John Colasacco for being a great friend and writing mentor."—John McClintick

In nominating Johnathan, Professor Eileen Schell wrote, "It is rare that we allow any undergraduate students to take our doctoral seminars, so Johnathan's presence in my seminar demonstrates how greatly I believe in his abilities . . . . Johnathan combines an interest in poetry and also in rhetorical theory, feminist theory, and queer theory. In my doctoral seminar, he is working on a project that examines the phenomenon of the "selfie" photograph in relation to contemporary digital rhetoric scholarship and also Burke's theories of identification. He has recently proposed to Collin Brooke an independent study where he can continue that research beyond my course. Throughout the 631 course, Johnathan has read the course texts—from I.A. Richards, Weaver, Burke, Booth, Lakoff and Johnson, and others—with a great deal of zeal and commitment. In class discussions, it is evident he knows the texts and has specific insights to contribute drawn from passages and concepts. His writing in the course blogs is often equally well informed and insightful. Johnathan is very serious about continuing his work in rhetoric and imagines enrollment in an MA and then PhD program in Rhetoric and Writing or an MFA program, although he is leaning toward the MA/PhD program track these days."

Assistant Professor Patrick Berry also wrore on Johnathan's behalf: "John was also a student in my advanced editing class in 2014, where he did excellent work. After the class ended, I kept in touch with him as he served as Entertainment and Poetry Editor for The OutCrowd and, this past year, as co-editor and designer for The Birds We Piled Loosely, a newly formed literary publication. His commitment to developing as a writer and as a reader is impressive and persistent. This past semester, his writing was recognized by the editors of the 2015 issue of Intertext. Two selections—“For Those Who Do Not Swallow” and “Postcards from Tornado Alley”—from his experimental memoir will be featured in the next issue, and I understand that an excerpt from this work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize . . . . John was also a student in my upper-level writing course focused on rhetoric and ethics, in which students read a range of philosophical, theoretical, and popular accounts about what it means to be an ethical writer, especially in the twenty-first century. Without fail, John came to each class prepared and ready to discuss the material. What I especially appreciated was how he responded to his peers. Whether offering constructive feedback or raising questions about the text, his responses were always about extending the conversation, and as a result, he earned the respect of those around him."

Reflecting on his time in the major, John adds, "It wasn't until after I got out of the major that I appreciated just how much of the work for my degree taught me how to be a more persuasive writer and communicator. From the little things in document and web design in Professional Writing and Digital Writing to the broader strokes of Advanced Argumentation and Rhetoric and Ethics. The Writing and Rhetoric major not only prepared me for my graduate student work and teaching work, it also made me a better communicator and listener in the broader world, a skill that often feels in short supply these days."