Sandra Brown Scholarship Recipients
I am pleased to have this opportunity to announce the 2024 winner of the Sandra Brown Excellence in Literary Fiction Scholarship. One of TCU’s most prestigious scholarships, the ELF is given to a rising junior who has demonstrated both academic excellence and exceptional potential as a fiction writer.
To be chosen as the ELF recipient, the student must pass through two levels of rigorous judging, one on campus and a second a blind review undertaken externally by established writers
from around the country. Since the ELF scholarship attracts exceptionally talented student writers from campus and beyond, the judges’ task is extremely difficult.
This year there were four ELF finalists who received particularly high marks from all of the judges, and their final rankings were close. But when all of the scores were added up, there was a clear winner.
Those who recommended the 2024 ELF recipient consistently praised her as both an exceptionally accomplished student writer and outstanding student. One recommender commented: “Writing is her singular interest. It is her lens but also her identity. She is fearless as a writer, and she is also open to criticism. She is a young, determined writer who will see a vision through to the end, no matter how vulnerable it leaves her.”
Another recommender added: “In all of her work, she has proven herself to be a diligent student, a creative writer, and an active member of her communities. Her intellectual curiosity, impressive work ethic, and commitment to equity make her an exceptional candidate for the Sandra Brown Excellence in fiction Scholarship.
Reese Hartley is a rising junior who is studying communication and writing with an emphasis in women and gender studies. She is from Paso Robles, California, and has been writing fiction from a young age. Weekend getaways are just one way she gains inspiration for her writing, while also getting to engage with her other hobbies like hiking and traveling. Currently, she is starting her third novel and building her skills in other forms of writing, such as poetry and scripts. Her ELF portfolio features a bold, nonconformist female protagonist who explores the tribulations of college life. Feminist perspectives are a vital aspect of her work, and she prioritizes critical investigations into patriarchy, religion, and death. In the future, she hopes to pursue a graduate education at TCU and work in the publication industry.
Without a doubt Reese is one of TCU’s most talented student writers.
2023 ELF recipient Jake Westerman was born in Richardson, Texas. A writing and digital culture and data analytics double major, he has been writing in some fashion since high school and enjoys works that feature complex themes and nuanced narratives. “I attempt to say something of substance with everything I write,” he explains.
Jake plans to use his dual majors to engage with storytelling through various platforms, including digital and literary publications. Over the summer of 2023, he traveled to Guatemala. He helped create a short film documentary, “Empowerment in Action: The Eco Spanish School Story,” which has received accolades, including first place in the educational heroes category at the My Hero International Film Festival. Jake hopes to pursue writing and his creative interests throughout his career.
The 2022 recipient of the ELF Scholarship, Lily Margaret Greenway, has had her eye on the scholarship since before entering the university. A double major in English and religion, Greenway has been writing short stories and poetry for as long as she could remember. "I wrote my first novel for my senior project in high school," she said. "I have completed another novel since I have arrived at TCU and am working to finish my third."
Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Greenway is a fan of writers who put as much effort into character development as they put into story threads. Among her favorite authors is John Green, Suzanne Collins, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and at the top of the mountain, Sandra Brown. After graduating Greenway plans to pursue an M.A. in English and anticipates doing so at TCU.
2021 ELF recipient Wafa Shaikh was born and raised in Saudi Arabia by Pakistani parents and moved to Katy, Texas, in 2016. A writing major, she loves literary fiction but likes experimenting with different genres. She says she once thought of writing as a hobby but adds: “as I grow alongside my writing, it’s less of a hobby and more of a responsibility I am willing to dedicate my life to.”
One person who recommended her for the ELF Award said in addition to being an insightful student and a gifted writer, Wafa has developed into a responsible leader who motivates and empowers all who work with her: “Wafa courageously and unapologetically tackles women’s issues in her work—such as molestation, abuse and arranged marriage―with the maturity and clarity of someone much older.” Another individual called Wafa a “remarkable storyteller,” and notes that she “writes from an uncommon perspective with a voice that is confident and distinct about experiences we do not read about often enough.” Wafa says her career plans are under consideration.
Originally from Lindenhurst, Illinois, Matt graduated high school with two passions, baseball and writing. He began at Benedictine University, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team, but transferred to TCU after an injury. “I’ve always been someone who looks ahead and likes to have everything under control, and that’s why I enjoy pitching and writing so much. In both, I am the one controlling the outcome, whether I’m facing a hitter or a blank page.” Matt’s professors praise his commitment both to writing and to exploring the depths of human relationships, especially family relationships. One said Matt has the “spiritual depth ... to write fiction that gives us new insight into the human condition.”
Matt is a senior writing major with a concentration in creative writing, and a double minor in general business and military science. He’s enlisted in the Army Reserves, is a member of TCU’s ROTC program and was recently married to wife Belle. After graduation, Matt plans to work as a youth pastor and a marketing manager/creative writer. He also hopes to publish the book he submitted to win this award: Hidden.
Jack is from McKinney, Texas, and is a writing and Film-TV-Digital Media double major with a 3.9 GPA. He comes from a theater background and says that acting in plays sparked his interest in writing. On campus he is a co-managing editor of eleven40seven, the student creative arts journal, and secretary for the Student Filmmakers, a club that writes and produces short films that recently filmed a script Jack wrote. When he is not writing, filming or going to class, he volunteers for Frogs for Autism.
Abby — who hails from Dallas — is a 4.0 Honors student pursuing majors in both writing and French. She also plays viola in the TCU Symphony Orchestra. When not writing fiction or playing music, Abby lives and breathes French, living in the French House in TCU’s Mabee Hall, working in the modern languages department as a French peer tutor, and in the summer, serving as a French tutor at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota. One of the individuals who recommended her for the award commented that Abby was willing to take “the kind of sophisticated risk that only the best writers embrace as they develop a sense and command of the possibilities of craft.”
Jordan Cole has been praised as both an exceptionally accomplished student writer and outstanding student. She was born in Mission Viejo, California. When her father, a Marine, was stationed in Okinawa, she attended high school there, and made her mark by playing volleyball and cheerleading. Her family returned to Allen, Texas, where she graduated. At TCU, she is an Honors student currently majoring in early education with a 3.88 GPA but hopes to combine that degree with writing and eventually integrate creative writing in her Honors thesis. She has tutored at Paschal High School in Fort Worth.
Chancellor’s Scholar Hayley Zablotsky has been praised as both an exceptionally accomplished student writer and an outstanding student. An honors student from El Dorado Hills, California, Hayley is majoring in writing with a women’s studies minor. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA, earning a place on the AddRan Dean’s Honor List and the title of TCU Scholar. In addition, she has received a Faculty Choice Award for Excellence in Spanish and a Cultural Heroes Award. Hayley works on campus as a John V. Roach Honors College dean’s assistant and as a writer for the Office of Strategic Partnerships. She has served as president of the Bryson Arts Society, as music director of the License to Trill a cappella group and as a mentor with the Fortress Youth Development Center.
Nick Barnette is an avid reader, hiker and ukulele player who is a double major in English and film-television-digital media, and a minor in classical studies. He is a winner of the David Vanderwerken Short Story Contest, Siddie Joe Johnson Poetry Contest and the CS Lewis Prize for Christian Literature for TCU’s 2015 Creative Writing Awards, and a member of the John V. Roach Honors College and Sigma Tau Delta. Nick is co-president and improviser for TCU’s improv comedy troupe, Senseless Acts of Comedy, and a member of Chords for Kids, a musical group that performs at TCU’s KinderFrogs School. He is also a member of the Student Filmmakers Association.
In spring 2016, Nick will study abroad at the University of Cape Town, where he hopes to someday live and teach. After graduation he plans to pursue an MFA in creative writing.
A.J. Fineout is a 4.0 viola performance and writing double major who holds the L.A. Nordan Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship. She volunteers at a food pantry and donation center, and plays in the TCU Symphony Orchestra. After her graduation in 2017, A.J. hopes to open her own viola studio, participate in a string quartet, become a published novelist and start a writing program for young authors.
Junior Allana Wooley is a 4.0 writing and anthropology double major with a minor in Spanish and currently holds a Deans Scholarship. She is a Resident Assistant, serves on the staff for the eleven40seven literary publication, and volunteers for Read2Win, a bilingual reading program for young children.
Nickie Vogt is the 2012 recipient of the Sandra Brown Excellency in Literary Fiction Scholarship. She is an English major and Film minor from La Feria, Texas. Nickie is a dedicated writer who wrote her first novel at 16. She will receive her degree from TCU in May 2014, after which she plans to pursue a career in writing. She has also been inspired to pursue a career in university advancement, hoping to provide scholarships to other students, like the Browns provided for her.
Bill Hamlett, a sophomore from McKinney, Texas, is the 2011 recipient of the Excellence in Literary Fiction (ELF) Scholarship. Bill is pursuing a double major in writing and French at TCU. He has also received the Siddie Joe Johnson Poetry Award.
Michigan native Travis Freeman is the 2010 recipient of the Excellence in Literary Fiction (ELF) Scholarship. Travis is a committed writer who began pursuing his craft at age 12. Before coming to TCU, he attended Austin Community College. He will receive his English degree from TCU in 2012, after which he plans to seek an MFA in fiction.
In spring 2009, Kelli Trapnell, a Writing major from Houston, became the first recipient of the Excellence in Literary Fiction (ELF) Scholarship established by Sandra and Michael Brown. Sandra Brown said that Kelli’s “writing demonstrates a vivid imagination, a remarkable ability to write in a wide range of genres, and a mature understanding of human emotion. This rare and wonderful combination of workmanship and innate talent makes her a most worthy recipient of the ELF.”