Recent Muskegon Community College alumnus Nicholas Rossiter is among 28 community college students nationally whose award-winning work will be published in the upcoming Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) online literary journal, Nota Bene.
Rossiter, who earned his Associate in Science and Arts from MCC in May and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in creative writing at the University of Michigan, is one of six students receiving scholarships for their exemplary entries. The North Muskegon High School graduate will receive a $500 Reynolds Award, which is endowed by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and honors the memory of the late Donald W. Reynolds, founder of the Donrey Media Group.
Active with PTK while at MCC, Rossiter’s prize-winning submission is titled “The Spectral Waltz.” Another of his works, “Til Death Bring Us Together,” will also be included in the next journal. Nota Bene showcases the outstanding writing of community college students. More than 440 entries were submitted to the 2021 competition, which is judged by current and retired college faculty and staff from across the country. The digital issue will be available on ptk.org this winter.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. For more information, contact Erin Cogswell at erin.cogswell@pkt.org or at (601) 987-5533.
Last semester, Rossiter, then an MCC sophomore, won the top award in a different statewide competition for his fiction writing and was honored during Michigan’s 36th Annual Liberal Arts Network for Development (LAND) Conference. His work, “A Short Tale of an Eccentric Millionaire,” appeared in the annual publication produced by LAND, an organization committed to community college faculty and student excellence.