Sharon Kwan Wins Matt Kelley Award for Excellence in First Year Writing

Stamps student Sharon Kwan (BFA ​‘24) has been selected as one of two winners of the 2021 Matt Kelley Award for Excellence in First Year Writing. Sharon’s essay, Cardcaptor Sakura’s Life-Changing Guidance, was chosen by a panel of judges who recognized the work as exceptional among a number of other nominated papers.

Sharon’s essay about her relationship with the animé ​“Cardcaptor Sakura” models the deep questioning that makes for a strong personal narrative. On one level, Sharon’s essay points towards the importance of representation and the profound impacts that queer narratives can have on their audiences. But Sharon goes deeper still, drawing on her own artistic development to analyze the specific effectiveness of animation in conveying these queer stories. The result is a nuanced, affecting essay about finding acceptance, artistic inspiration, and ​“all forms of love.”

- Ali Shapiro, nominating instructor