Student places 2nd in history essay contest

April 21, 2005
By Katie Voelliger
Staff Writer

St. Ambrose student Stella O’Rourke never imagined winning a contest. Although, that is exactly what happened in early March when she received notice her history essay won second place in a national competition. 

O’Rourke is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, which is the honor society for history students.

“The national organization holds a Midwest conference every year,” O’Rourke said. “Last fall I was in History 400, the senior seminar for history majors. I found out that I would be writing a twenty page original research paper (for the class).”

Since the contest required participants to submit a ten-page paper and do a twenty-minute presentation, O’Rourke was in luck. She was determined to enter, since she had already done some research for her class paper.

O’Rourke, majoring in English and history, attended the conference in Omaha, Nebraska, which was held March 3-5. Andrew Padavich, another history major, also attended.

Papers were submitted and judged ahead of time, so the winners could be recognized at the conference. O’Rourke’s paper received second place, which included a certificate and fifty dollars.

“We are thrilled that Stella was recognized for her outstanding senior essay,” history department chair Ryan Dye said. “Stella has been one of the brightest stars in the history department, and it is great to see her receive the accolades that she deserves.” O’Rourke likes to compare her love for history with her childhood story time.   

“When I think about it, history is nothing more than a story,” O’Rourke said. “Seeing how events connect with other events plays a huge role in humanity, and really intrigued me. After four years of studying it, I’m amazed at what can be gathered by looking at historical documents. They allow a person to figure the story out in order to tell the story.”

O’Rourke, from North English, Iowa, plans on going into the master of organizational leadership program next year at SAU.

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