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Christina K. Brannick

Biography

Christina K. Schenck, 22, became an award-winning poet during her studies at Manchester Community College in Manchester, CT, and toured her state on the "Connecticut Poetry Circuit." She was selected for the 2004 All-Connecticut Academic Team and won prizes for literary criticism and creative writing. She achieved a 3.98 grade point average while working half-time as a bank teller to support her studies. Ms. Schenck will attend Gordon College in Wenham, MA, and will seek advanced degrees in English. Her goal is to become a writer and college professor.

Christina Schenck, challenged by a professor to be more creative, took a course in writing poetry at Manchester Community College (MCC) and became an instant success. "Even though she had never written poetry before, she soon became one of the best poets in the class, earned an A for the semester, and was invited to be one of three poets to read at the college arts festival," said Stephen Straight, professor of English at MCC. "All this in just 15 weeks as a poet is almost unbelievable." She went on to greater honors, however: she was selected as one of five undergraduate students in the state to tour with the Connecticut Poetry Circuit. She accomplished all this while carrying a full load of courses and working 20 hours a week as a bank teller.

Ms. Schenck, who was home-schooled by her mother, compiled a 3.98 grade point average at MCC, was selected for the 2004 All-Connecticut Academic Team, and appeared on the National Dean's List for two years in a row. She also served as vice president of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, tutored in English, helped to lead a Bible study group at her church, and helped organize a breast cancer survivors' dinner.

Christina intends to major in English at a four-year college and then seek advanced degrees to qualify herself as a college teacher of English. "I feel it is my obligation to use the understanding and love for the language arts that I have been blessed with to enrich people's experience of life and education," she wrote. "I can think of nothing more satisfying than to open students' eyes to the beauty of artful expression."

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