Congratulations to Ethan Gibson and Natasha Tar!

The Department of English celebrates the achievements of undergraduate students Ethan Gibson and Natasha Tar.

This year, Ethan won the Shenul Dhalla Undergraduate Award in English, which is awarded each fall to an outstanding, full-time undergraduate student who has formally declared an English honours, major on joint major.

When asked why he enjoys studying English, Ethan had this to say:

“I love studying English literature because reading is a way of communicating with some of the most fascinating people in the history of our language—not to mention other languages. Right now, in a pandemic, many people are turning to literature: to feel less alone, to understand our feelings, to learn how people responded to similar crises in the past. Literature may not have neat answers for us, but I think it can remind us to love the questions, instead of trying to forget them. For me to study literature at a university, (virtually) alongside brilliant people, is a privilege I cherish now more than ever.”

In summer 2020, Natasha Tar received the Capi Blanchet Annual Scholarship in Fiction. The department gives this annual scholarship to an undergraduate student in excellent academic standing who has successfully completed an upper-division English creative writing course.

Winning this scholarship means a great deal to Natasha:

“I’m incredibly thankful for this scholarship. Up until now, I’ve been using a borrowed laptop to do all my coursework. With tuition always increasing and my own precarious work situation, I was definitely feeling stressed. Now I can finally get my own laptop and worry a little less about the upcoming semester. This scholarship is also a huge encouragement to keep writing and learning. I'm very grateful for this motivation.”