The winners of the second Common Book writing contest were announced May 18 at a dinner held by President Jay Gogue and his wife Susie.
Students were asked to write an essay about how themes in "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time" inspired them.
Submissions were read and ranked by a panel of contest judges including Margaret Marshall, Constance Relihan, Sharon Roberts, Paul Patterson and Emily Washburn.
Alicia Berdeguez, freshman in creative writing, took home the first place prize for her poem "Patterns."
"My writing was inspired by the children in 'Three Cups of Tea' and their passion for learning," Berdeguez said. "It was also inspired by the story's setting and theme of spreading knowledge to promote peace."
Along with winning first place, Berdeguez was awarded an opportunity to shadow Mary Ellen Mazey, the Auburn University provost, and witness the responsibilities that come with the position firsthand.
"(Mazey) told me for every problem there's a solution, for every negative there's a positive and for every challenge there's an opportunity," Berdeguez said.
Second place went to Jennifer Robinson, sophomore in English and Spanish, for her essay "Missteps and Success," that discussed the books' theme of success.
"I wanted to write about 'Three Cups of Tea' because I was really inspired by Greg Mortenson's selflessness and perseverance," Robinson said. "Writing the essay helped me form clear thoughts on the book and encouraged me to think about how I could apply Greg Mortenson's journey to my own life."
As part of her award, she also shadowed Mazey and received a behind-the-scenes look at a meeting with the Auburn University Board of Trustees.
The third-place prize of the night was awarded to Eric Lopez, senior in political science, for tying themes in the book to issues of foreign relations. Lopez was awarded an opportunity to shadow Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs.
"I truly enjoyed the opportunity of getting to shadow the athletic director Jay Jacobs for the day," Lopez told the Office of University Writing. "It was a once in a lifetime experience to see all the inner functions of how a collegiate athletic department operates."
The Common Book program is established in more than 100 universities nationwide and was developed to promote a shared academic experience among students.
Auburn Connects!, a program that began in fall 2010, co-sponsored the contest.
Committee members, who were nominated by their respective academic associate deans, and representatives from the Student Government Association were asked to nominate three books for the contest, giving the provost the final decision.
"Three Cups of Tea," written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, is a No. 1 New York Times best-seller that recalls the harrowing tale of Mortenson's campaign to rebuild schools in desolate areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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