Helen B. Cannon Honored at English Department Award Ceremony

Recently, the English Department held our annual awards ceremony, which celebrated the department’s exceptional faculty, staff, and students, as well as the legacy of Helen B. Cannon. Bittersweet, the department bid farewell to a respected member of the community while honoring Helen’s more than 13 years of dedicated, innovative, and enthusiastic work in the classroom and her many contributions to the greater USU community. Recipients of this year’s awards carry the torch, demonstrating in significant ways the English Department’s commitment to excellence.




The following received awards: 

• Teacher of the Year: Ben Gunsberg 
• Undergraduate Faculty Mentor of the Year: Russ Beck 
• Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year and English Department Faculty Mentoring Award: Jessica Rivera-Mueller 
• Researcher of the Year: Jason Olsen  
• Adjunct of the Year: Steven Merrell 
• Faculty Service Award: Russ Winn 
• Graduate Faculty Mentor of the Year: Afsane Rezaei  
• Lecturer of the Year: Jeremy Ricketts 
• Master’s Student Researcher of the Year: Jacob Taylor 
• Doctoral Student Researcher of the Year: Hannah Stevens 
• Graduate Student of the Year: Mina Weeks 
• Undergraduate Researcher of the Year: Basil Payne 
• Legacy Award and Creative Writing Outstanding Student: Jay Paine  
• English Teaching Outstanding Student: Carter Hansen  
• Literature Outstanding Student: Rylee Dangerfield 

• Technical Communication and Rhetoric Outstanding Student: Maren Archibald 
• American Studies Outstanding Student Award: Emily Jensen  
• General English Outstanding Student: Sarah Young  

The English Department congratulates the winners of this year’s awards and is proud to honor the legacy of Helen B. Cannon, which will continue to inspire faculty, staff, and students. To learn more about Helen, watch Helen Cannon: Aggie Legacy.