2016 Creative Writing Awards

2016 Honored Students

Congratulations and thanks to our students, alumni, sponsors, judges and the Creative Writing Committee for your help in making our event successful and enjoyable.

Kellie Kozel ‘18
Kellie Kozel is in her first year at Yale School of Nursing, studying to be a family nurse practitioner and pursuing concentrations in global health and cancer. She graduated from Villanova University in 2011 with a bachelor’s in psychology and minor in Italian. After college she moved to Durban, South Africa for two years to work in an HIV/AIDS in-patient unit and hospice, as well as at a local orphanage for boys. In Durban she discovered a passion for hospice work and hopes to continue fostering discussions about palliative care, patient’s wishes, and death with dignity throughout her career. Kellie will graduate from YSN in 2018.

Read the full text of her essay here.

Leah Mahwinney ‘18
Leah Mawhinney received her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College, where she studied nutrition, agriculture, and dining culture. She graduated in 2010. After working as a teacher, baker, and farmer, Leah became a doula. This work propelled her into the field of women’s health. She is currently studying to become a nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner, and will graduate in 2018.

Read the full text of her essay here.

Lisa Rich ‘18
Lisa Rich attended the University of New Mexico and the University of Maryland where she received her bachelor’s social sciences. She is a Tillman Military Scholar and, prior to coming to Yale, worked with military families and homeless pregnant women. She is wife to a retired U.S. Marine and mother of four children, all of whom not only moved to Connecticut so she could follow her dream of becoming a certified nurse midwife, but also allow her to practice her physical exam techniques on them. She is forever grateful for their support. She will graduate from Yale School of Nursing in May 2018.

Read the full text of her essay here.