MONROE, La. — University of Louisiana at Monroe President James Cofer presented awards to winners of the Summer Reader Best Essay Contest at a ceremony held at the end of the spring semester.

The essay contest was held in conjunction with ULM’s Summer Reading program, which is designed to introduce first-year students to intellectual exchange at ULM.

Freshman English students wrote essays based on the summer reading book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder, focusing their essays on social justice, global-issues consciousness and community service.

Taking third place was Ashley Elizabeth Stephens, a kinesiology freshman from Daphne, with her essay titled “Healing Haiti.”

“I am inspired to help people who are in need, even if it is in a small way, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Paul Farmer and the people who worked for him,” Stephens said.

 The contest also worked in partnership with a University of Louisiana System Learn and Serve service-learning grant awarded to the university. The English 101 essays addressed the academic, learning side, while students in freshman seminars conducted a community service project that raised over $5,000 for the Red Cross, in the spirit of Hurricane Katrina relief.