Five students place in poetry, poster competition

First place poster winner Brianna Taylor.

UAH

Five students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) placed in state Alabama Career Development Association (ACDA) poetry and poster competitions held in conjunction with the National Career Development Association’s (NCDA) National Career Development Week.

In its first year of submission, UAH swept first through third place in the poster category. Poster winners were Brianna Taylor, first place, and Jessie Layne, second place, and Jared DeShay, third place. Poetry winners were Matthew Byrne, second place, and Geena Gammon, third place.

About 30 students participated in the preliminary competitions, sponsored by the UAH Office of Career Services, says Candace Phillips, Career Services senior coordinator. "We had a formal judging process and the winners were sent to the state competition. All five students who won at the state level are being entered into the national competition. National winners will be announced in April," Phillips says. "The students worked hard and are very deserving of these awards."

"I'm extremely grateful to have been able to participate in this competition," Taylor says. "It has been a wonderful experience and is a great addition to my portfolio."

"It's incredibly validating as a student to get the opportunity to speak about professionalism and the necessity for career preparation to other young people through the National Career Development Association," says Byrne. "As a writer, the NCDA's dedication to connecting to students through poetry is refreshing, as verse writing has become less common and valued through the years. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to express my convictions about career readiness through the NCDA poster and poetry competition."

"I appreciate the opportunity to express my creativity," DeShay says. "Being able to use the NCDA Poster and Poetry competition as a platform to showcase it was a rewarding experience. I am humbled by the outcome and look forward to the national competition."

Judges for the local level competitions included representatives from UAH, Red Brick Strategies, the Huntsville Madison County Public Library and the Huntsville Literary Association.

"The National Career Development Association Poetry and Poster Contest is a great opportunity to emphasize the accomplishments of our talented students in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences," says Laura Taylor, who serves as liaison between Career Services and the College of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, is a member of the National Career Development Association and sponsored the submissions.

"The NCDA and ACDA work diligently to promote career development skills and competencies to students at all levels," Phillips says. "Their poetry and poster competition is quite competitive. We are excited to be a part of this."

Students were challenged to create a poster using digital media or write a poem focused on the theme of "Leading the Way to a Future Full of Possibilities." The works of national winners will be placed on display at the national NCDA conference in Phoenix, and will appear on the NCDA website for the following year.

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