Michael Harwick '11 Awarded Davidson Fellowship For His Writing Portfolio

Michael Harwick '11 has been awarded a $25,000 Davidson Fellow Scholarship for his achievement in writing. He was one of 17 winners selected from across the country for the scholarship program sponsored by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development in Nevada. Harwick was honored for his writing portfolio titled "Highways: The Road as Existence." The portfolio included excerpts from Harwick's novel The Sideshow Vision as well as some of his poetry.

In an interview with the Newark, N.J. Star-Ledger (Oct. 10, 2007), Harwick said "To be recognized in such a grand way was really amazing. It is very reassuring for an artist to know that there is someone out there who thinks what you are saying is important and worth listening to."

According to the article, "His novel, which he calls 'a requiem to New Jersey,' is loosely based on the state's pop culture, he said. It is the story of a family's quest to figure out the past life of their father, who was stationed with the military in Iraq and has now disappeared.

"The quest stems from a photograph, and the family travels all over New Jersey to reconnect people with the photographer - all members of a defunct circus."

Julie Dudley, director of communications for the Davidson Institute, was also quoted in The Star-Ledger article. She said "Michael's portfolio in literature basically stood out to the judges as a significant piece of work in the field. They thought it was beyond someone typically of that age." 

The Davidson Awards, given since 2001, recognize student achievements in science, technology, mathematics, music, literature and philosophy. The scholarship recipients were honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26.