Eight international students were recognized for their talent as
young creative writers when presented with the Harry Kurnitz
Foreign Students Creative Writing Award on Tuesday evening.
The Kurnitz Awards, a tradition at UCLA since 1965, were
established to encourage creative writing by international students
and give them the opportunity to be recognized outside the academic
sphere. Students have the choice to write either a poem, screenplay
or feature story. The creative pieces are judged by a panel of
professors, and students are awarded prizes ranging from $500 to
$2,000.
The selection process includes an evaluation of the quality of
their English, the insight and creativity displayed, and the impact
of the piece on the reader. Many students choose to submit a story
about their experience as a foreign student at UCLA, but they are
not limited to this topic.
One winner, Natalia Golysheva, wrote a piece about wedding-day
anxieties while another, Krisztina Pomper, submitted a collection
of poems reflecting her Hungarian culture.
“International students have so many unique and powerful
things to say about the world, and they don’t want to miss
that (opportunity),” said Jeremy Wintringer, special projects
administrator for the Office of International Students and
Scholars.
He added that this award gives foreign students a chance for
their voices to be heard that is not always available.
“It’s nice to have the opportunity for international
students because the rest (of the scholarships) goes to U.S.
citizens,” said Katharina Frank, a graduate student in film
and television from Germany.
Another advantage of the program is that it gives students a
refreshing break from the daily pressures of life at UCLA,
Wintringer said. It allows students “to step out of their
major and express themselves creatively.”
After a two year hiatus due to immigration law changes in 2001,
the awards returned this year with the largest application pool the
university had ever seen.
In his welcome speech, Robert Naples, assistant vice chancellor
of the Office of Student and Campus Life, expressed excitement that
the Kurnitz Award was receiving more recognition from the UCLA
community.
Foreign students at UCLA often have to work harder to succeed,
both academically and socially. Wintringer explained that higher
campus fees for international students and more restrictive
immigration laws exacerbate this problem and that foreign students
often find it difficult to integrate into the community.
Frank seconded Wintringer’s concern, saying she saw the
fee increases as a barrier to international students who wanted to
study in the United States.
Golysheva, a recipient of an award for her feature “Signs
Hah,” a story about the everyday humor and pressures of life,
said that she did not feel fully accepted by students at UCLA.
“I don’t integrate with regular students,” she
said, “I don’t think any of us do,” Golysheva
said, adding that she believes many students in the United States
don’t care about international culture.
But, Pomper expressed a very different opinion regarding campus
life. Pomper, who received an award for her collection of poems,
said she was impressed by the open-minded reception she had
received from students.
“There are so many educated and intelligent people here at
UCLA. … There is much more awareness,” Pomper said when
comparing the campus to her high school in Orange County.
Wintringer said he hoped awards like this would make it more
appealing for foreign students to study in the United States.