Bobbie Handcock, a rhetoric and writing graduate student from Lonoke, has won the 2022 Phi Kappa Phi Essay Contest and a $250 scholarship.

Phi Kappa Phi, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary at UA Little Rock, selected Handcock as the winner of its 1,000-word essay contest on the theme: Love of Learning in a Pandemic.

“I am so honored to receive this award so early in my graduate career,” said Handcock, who is in her first semester of graduate school. “The scholarship means a lot to me, and it will really help me as I pursue my master’s degree.”

Handcock, who works as a web content specialist in the Office of Communications and Marketing, plans to graduate in 2024 with a Master of Arts in Professional and Technical Writing degree. She is a first-generation college student who will be the first person in her family to earn a master’s degree.

Handcock wrote about how the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged her to make important changes in her life. She had always dreamed of getting her master’s degree, so Handcock took a new and challenging position at UA Little Rock where she can take advantage of the tuition discount for university employees.

“COVID helped me refocus and renew my love of learning,” Handcock wrote. “It helped me pause and see what was possible. COVID might have driven me to grad school but I’m now the one at the wheel.”