William Scott Mattox is a third year student at the University of Michigan. He has excelled in academics and athletics throughout his life. He graduated top of his class in high school and was a varsity athlete on the 2016 state semi-finalist Rochester Men’s Soccer team.

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He holds a diverse set of interests. Sports, politics, debate, reading, and writing are a few of the many passions in Scott's life. Reading has long been one of these interests; however, as a younger student he did not hold writing in the same esteem. It was relatively recently that he began to enjoy and pursue writing opportunities. Ms. Burke, his AP Language and Composition teacher, was a major catalyst in this development. She taught writing as something to be enjoyed, something that was expressive and unique. This approach resonated with Scott who had previously viewed writing as dull and formulaic. The renewed energy towards writing led Scott to take AP Literature. The experience in both AP English courses furthered Scott's ability and love for writing.

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Through the transfer from high school into undergraduate study he was not sure how to continue with his newfound passion for writing. He knew he did not want to major in English. He already knew that economics was the right major choice and felt a double major would be too much for him to handle. Throughout his freshman year he explored his options and stumbled onto the Minor in Writing. The perfect opportunity to continue as a writer and still retain a primary focus on economics.

 

Two years later and Scott has taken numerous writing classes at Michigan, including the writing minor introduction. This course has allowed Scott to experiment with new media, genre, and modes. The culmination of this class has been realized here in the form of a poem. The derivative of an essay written three years prior.