Several McHenry County College (MCC) students were recently recognized in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) 2025 Writer’s Competition and Festival.
Student Diellza Sejdini received first place in the Creative Non-Fiction category for the story “More Than a Bracelet.” In the Fiction category, Alex Ingwalson earned an honorable mention for the story “Coffee, Donuts, and a New Dream.” Several MCC students, including Grace Haase and Dottie Dotson, were also selected as finalists and attended the festival. Other finalists included Rachel Maes, Alexis Stone, and Madison Thornsberry.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our students and the dedication they brought to their writing,” said Starr Nordgren, instructor of English and department chair at MCC. “Our goal is always to help students discover confidence in their writing and develop their own creative identities. Watching their work shine on a statewide stage is incredibly rewarding.”
The ISCC consists of eight colleges and the Writer’s Competition is held annually each fall. This year, there were a total of 73 finalists in four categories (creative nonfiction, fiction, drama, and poetry). The first round of competition takes place at the school level. After soliciting submissions, each school’s coordinator selects the pieces that will move on to the statewide competition; typically, schools only submit one entry per student to the final round. Winners are then selected by a panel of writing professionals/judges selected by the host school. Prairie State College hosted this year’s festival.