Another Chapman success in international Jane Austen competition Tami Orendain (B.A. ’15, M.A. ’16) takes 3rd in essay contest

As Tami Orendain completed another phase of her education this year, she has been internationally honored for her essay on the theme of education in Jane Austen’s
Emma.


Orendain (B.A. ’15, M.A. ’16) won third place in the graduate division of the Jane Austen Society of North America’s annual essay contest for her paper
“The (Mis)Education of Harriet Smith: Confidence, Perception, and Character Development in Emma.”

Orendain is the latest in a series of Chapman students to
earn recognition in the JASNA contest
. Along with the honor comes publication of the essay, a set of Norton Critical Editions of Austen’s novels, a year’s membership in
JASNA
for Orendain and advisor Lynda Hall, assistant professor in the Department of English –and a $250 scholarship, just months after Orendain completed her master’s degree.

“I think they’re just sending me a check, honestly,” Orendain says with a laugh.

Orendain, whose master’s thesis compared Austen’s
Pride and Prejudice
and a popular YouTube adaptation called
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
 to illustrate emerging forms of storytelling, took an unexpected approach in her essay on
Emma
as well. Instead of focusing on the central character, Orendain shines a light on Harriet, a seemingly unsophisticated friend who proves to have a better grasp on life and love than Emma, her meddling matchmaker.

“Emma’s miseducation thus does ironically help Harriet gain confidence; her recognition of Emma’s misguidance furthermore allows Harriet to teach herself to value her own beliefs and desires,” Orendain wrote.

Her graduate work complete, Orendain is working as a freelance writer for various websites and job-hunting in fields that include copywriting, marketing and editorial work as well as teaching. Graduating, she says, doesn’t have to mean the end of academic writing.

“It was fun,” she says. “I’d encourage other people to keep writing and doing academic writing. A lot of people think that goes away after college.”