Mbatai wins Dean James E. McLeod First-Year Writing Prize
Sophomore Izzy Mbatai has been awarded the Dean James E. McLeod First-Year Writing Prize from the College of Arts & Sciences and the College Writing Program
Izzy Mbatai, a sophomore in the McKelvey School of Engineering, has been awarded a Dean James E. McLeod First-Year Writing Prize from the College of Arts & Sciences and the College Writing Program.
Each year, the program awards a prize to one Arts & Sciences student and one student from outside of Arts & Sciences for an original research paper that explores some aspect of race, gender and/or identity. The other winner was Camille Johnson, an Arts & Sciences student, for her essay, “Can You Hear the Music? Reexamining the Gender Gap in Physics.”
Mbatai, who is majoring in computer science at McKelvey and minoring in the business of sports in the Olin Business School, won for his essay, “‘They not like us’ — Who actually won the Drake vs. Kendrick beef?” In this paper, Mbatai argues that the real loser in the infamous Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud was Black culture, which gets reduced to content that is monetized, consumed and recycled for clicks and streams.
There were two honorable mentions and two runners-up. Results were announced at this year's Emerging Voices Sept. 24.
