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App State senior awarded spring 2021 Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship for creative writing

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Appalachian State University senior Zöe Benfield, of Statesville, is the recipient of the university’s Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship for the spring 2021 semester. Benfield is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing. Photo submitted

Department of English scholarships

The English Department has a number of scholarships that support and recognize the academic achievement of English majors. The recipients of the academic scholarships and awards are determined by the department's Honors Committee.

Learn more
English (BA) - Creative Writing
English (BA) - Creative Writing

Students in English (BA) - Creative Writing have success and flexibility in a variety of careers – including writing, editing, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, public relations, teaching, educational administration, law, business, library and information science, the caring professions, government and more.

Learn more
By Sophia Woodall
Posted Jan. 15, 2021 at 1:45 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s Zöe Benfield, a senior from Statesville who is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, has been awarded App State’s Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship for the spring 2021 semester.

The scholarship, created by and named in honor of the late Rogers Whitener and Janice Whitener, is awarded based on financial need, performance in creative writing for a majoring student and active, positive citizenship in all courses, including those in creative writing.

Benfield, who is in the Department of English’s honors program, said the scholarship funding she received will ease some of her concerns associated with being a nontraditional student pursuing her bachelor’s degree.

“I knew this scholarship would be helpful to me because, at nearly 25 years old, I am technically a nontraditional student. I have a wife and a mortgage, so I am in a different stage of life than most seniors I have as classmates,” Benfield said.

Outside the classroom, Benfield works as the associate editor of The Peel Literature and Arts Review, an on-campus, student-run literary magazine.

“I give this position my all, as I want my peers both within and outside of the creative writing concentration to have the opportunity to submit their work for feedback and the chance for publication,” Benfield said of her role with The Peel.

In the future, Benfield hopes to earn her Master of Arts in English through App State’s Accelerated Admission program. Afterward, she plans to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.

Benfield said her ultimate goal is to teach English and creative writing at the college level and to continue her writing career. To date, she has published a handful of short stories and she is working on a few novel projects.

More on the scholarship’s founders

The Whiteners supported both students and the arts during their years at App State.

Janice Whitener, an associate professor of family and consumer sciences, taught and served as an administrator. She mentored students in the fields of clothing, textiles and fashion merchandising.

Rogers Whitener taught in App State’s Department of English and served as director of cultural affairs. He received a B.S. in English and history from Appalachian State Teachers College — now known as Appalachian State University — in 1948. His undergraduate career at App State was interrupted by World War II, during which he served three years in the Army Air Forces.

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Department of English scholarships

The English Department has a number of scholarships that support and recognize the academic achievement of English majors. The recipients of the academic scholarships and awards are determined by the department's Honors Committee.

Learn more
English (BA) - Creative Writing
English (BA) - Creative Writing

Students in English (BA) - Creative Writing have success and flexibility in a variety of careers – including writing, editing, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, public relations, teaching, educational administration, law, business, library and information science, the caring professions, government and more.

Learn more

About the Department of English

The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at https://english.appstate.edu.

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and unique location. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,400 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Department of English scholarships

The English Department has a number of scholarships that support and recognize the academic achievement of English majors. The recipients of the academic scholarships and awards are determined by the department's Honors Committee.

Learn more
English (BA) - Creative Writing
English (BA) - Creative Writing

Students in English (BA) - Creative Writing have success and flexibility in a variety of careers – including writing, editing, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, public relations, teaching, educational administration, law, business, library and information science, the caring professions, government and more.

Learn more

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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