English – Outstanding Senior 2022

Allyson Pang

Honolulu, HI

Degrees and Majors:

  • Bachelor of Arts in English, Creative Writing
  • Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Journalism

Honor graduation status

  • Magna cum laude

Internships and Employment

  • Digital Design Intern, Adult Friends for Youth
  • Writing Consultant, WSU Writing Center
  • Editor-in-Chief, WSU LandEscapes Literary Journal

Awards & Recognition

  • Published a novel, The Populars, as a high school freshman
  • WSU Representative, Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference
  • Ecopoetry Anthology Book Design Winner
  • Campus Civic Poet Award

Honored Faculty and Mentors

  • Dr. Peter Chilson, English
  • Dr. Cameron McGill, English
  • Dr. Linda Russo, English
  • Colin Criss, Lecturer, English
  • Dr. Donna Potts, English
  • Dr. Debbie Lee, English

Faculty Comments

“Her academic work is excellent, and her performance as a department citizen has been even more remarkable. She was awarded the role of Civic Poet in 2020, during a pandemic. Whereas the Civic Poet usually does performances at several departmental events throughout the year, Ally had no such option. She had to find ways to present her work online and she managed to remain visible in her role as Civic Poet in 2020. She produced the Happiness Project on YouTube.  She relied on many faculty and student contributions for her project, and her integration of our words served to make us all feel less alone during a particularly isolating time.

“Ally is also from Hawai’i, and her poetic explorations of her own ethnicity have been truly inspiring to our students, who value equity and diversity and seek to explore their own heritages during a politically fraught time in our nation’s history.” –Dr. Donna Potts

Personal Statement

“No amount of slam poetry and prose could express how much I appreciate all of the support I’ve received from family, friends, and professors here at WSU. I find new ways to love writing and keep doing it through all of you. You make writers’ block worth dealing with! Mahalo nui loa to you all.”

Future Plans

After graduation, Allyson will find an internship or a job—to make some money—maybe as a freelance journalist. Long-term, she wants to be a published author and a multimedia journalist.