FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2003

Contact:

Shirley Melikian Armbruster or Tom Uribes (559) 269-5261 or (559) 250-8459                  

Mary Silva Awarded Fresno State’s University Graduate Medal

Photo Gallery from Event

Mary Lourdes Silva of Laton, whose graduate thesis is a combination of poetry and prose that focuses on her life as the daughter of Portuguese immigrants, was awarded the University Graduate Medal today (May 16) as the outstanding graduate degree student in the Class of 2003 at California State University, Fresno.

Silva was presented the silver University Graduate Medal by Dr. Vivian A. Vidoli, Graduate Studies dean, and a plaque by university President John D. Welty at the Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony for master’s and doctoral candidates.

Silva, who earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing with a 3.93 GPA, is the Dean’s Graduate Medalist from the College of Arts and Humanities. She was selected as the top graduate student from the Dean’s Medalists of the nine academic colleges, schools and divisions.

Silva will be recognized at Fresno State’s 92nd annual Commencement ceremonies Saturday (May 17) at 8:30 a.m. in Bulldog Stadium. The President’s Medal honoring the top undergraduate student also will be presented at Commencement.

The President’s Medal and the University Graduate Medal are the highest honors given by the university to graduating bachelor’s and graduate degree students.  The medals are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, service to the school and contributions to the community. In addition to Silva, the other Graduate Dean’s

Medalists for 2002 are Rodrigo Krugner of Brazil, College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology; Anna K. Hadjinlian of Fresno, Craig School of Business; Robin Roberts of Hanford, Kremen School of Education and Human Development; Troy A. Asher of Roseburg, Ore., College of Engineering and Computer Science; Michael S. Newsome of Clovis, College of Health and Human Services; Nathanael Fast of Fresno, College of Science and Mathematics; Crystal Marie Faulconer of Fresno, College of Social Sciences; Emily D. Campos of Selma, Division of Student Affairs.

Graduate Studies Dean Vidoli praised Silva for her achievements: “Faculty members are unanimous in their exceptional praise of Mary’s creative and pragmatic talents,” said Vidoli.  “Her talent will be something special to watch in the future.”

In addition to her M.F.A. degree, Silva received a Certificate of Advanced Study in Composition. Dr. Connie Hales, co-coordinator of the M.F.A. program, said simultaneously earning both requires a “rare student who is equally gifted in practice and theory.”

Silva is the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including the Leon S. Peters Graduate Scholarship, the Graduate Fellowship Equity Award and the California State University, Fresno Creative Nonfiction Award.

She began her studies as a poet, but went on to explore the genre of creative nonfiction, particularly memoir, and is skilled at both.

“Her poems are powerful and daring – often dazzling in their imaginative leaps and  unexpected language terms,” said Hales. “Her prose is equally exciting. She never settles for the competent or even graceful, but pushes the language to do more than expected. It’s always an adventure to read her work – and it’s always a delight,” said Hales.

While completing her M.F.A. degree requirement, Silva also worked with Fresno State professor Rick Hansen to pursue an extended study on literacy in public education. Her work addresses issues in school reform and literacy theory that are currently receiving a great deal of attention, Hansen said, adding “The outcome of this work is very promising.”

Silva, a graduate of Laton High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in music from Fresno State in 1999.

She received honorable mention for the 2002 Ernesto Trejo Prize in poetry, and has presented numerous poetry readings of her own work. She presented a paper, “Don’t Ask Questions – Answer Questions,” this spring at the national meeting of the Conference of College Composition and Communication in New York, the foremost national conference in the field of composition. She has presented three additional papers in her field at statewide conferences.

Silva served on the Editorial Board of “Flies, Cockroaches and Poets,” a journal of art and literature published by the Chicano Writers and Artists Association; as vice president of that organization; and as coordinator of this year’s Chicano Writers and Artists Association Poetry Symposium, held in March.

She taught English composition and poetry courses and worked as a writing tutor at Fresno State, and led reading and writing workshops to train tutors at McLane High School, where she is Learning Center supervisor.

Silva plans to attend the University of California at Santa Barbara and receive a Ph.D. in composition theory.

Also at the Hooding ceremony, Sheryl Thompson Timberlake received the Outstanding Thesis Award. Her thesis for the Department of Political Science is titled “The Impact of China on California’s San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Trade.” Timberlake is graduating with a Master of Arts in International Relations.

Her thesis is a comprehensive analysis of trade relations and related public policy issues, including examination of domestic public policy regarding China’s human rights record, Most Favored Nation status, the granting of Permanent Normal Trade Relations and membership in the World Trade Organization.  Trade dispute mechanisms available to regional agricultural producers are provided as well as insights into the challenges and impediments in seeking trade relationships with China. Her analysis is important to understanding why China may well become the Valley’s largest agricultural market as well as its major competitor.

Timberlake plans to publish and disseminate her thesis.  Her long-range plans include working in the international trade arena.

Also recognized at the Hooding ceremony was Aarti Nayudu of India who received the Phyllis Watts Eudy Memorial Award for the Outstanding International Graduate Student.

Nayudu is graduating with a Master of Arts in Linguistics with a 4.0 GPA.  She has already produced an excellent description of a rare and surprising linguistic finding from her research on a Bantu language spoken in Kenya.  She has been a research assistant for the CSUF Forensic Linguistics Institute and project manager for the American Writing Project.

She received her bachelor’s degree from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India.  She plans to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Durham.                            

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