University students sometimes need to have fun. And that fun can lead to some perilous escapades. If the students are lucky, they will have thoughtful friends who come to their rescue. John Corgan ’11 takes readers for a lively evening’s ride in his “Grace is a hobble-wheeled bicycle” essay, which won first place in this magazine’s second annual Young Alumni Essay Contest.
Editors spent a day reading the 59 entries in the 2014 contest and selected the winners after follow-up readings and discussions. The names of the authors were not attached to the essays and were not revealed until after the winning entries were chosen.
Corgan’s first-place essay and the four second-place winning essays appear in this issue’s CrossCurrents section. Honorable-mention essays will appear at magazine.nd.edu.
The winning 2014 contest essays and their authors are:
First place ($500 prize):
Grace is a hobble-wheeled bicycle, John Corgan ’11
Second place ($250 prize):
Running from what, Paul Steinle ’07
The day they pulled the plug, C.M. Wurzelbacher ’12
The longest road, Sarah Sibley ’06
Water guns and Nutella, Kelly Flynn Kramb ’11
Honorable mention ($50 prize):
A desert song, Katie Buetow ’12
Alive hospice, K. Grace Ho ’10
An ordinary purpose, Cassie Herman Kralovec ’06
Shadows of saints, James Dechant ’08
Wait for me, Jessica Peyton Roberts ’08