SJU student wins third prize in national essay contest

05/07/2008

Nik Nadeau, a Saint John’s University junior, won third prize nationally in The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest sponsored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.

Nadeau is the first Elie Wiesel Prize winner at the College of Saint Benedict or Saint John’s University.

Nadeau, an English major from Hugo, Minn., earned $1,500 for his essay titled “The Ethics of Reclaiming.” The essay examines how the South Korean government treats overseas adoptees, which number an estimated 200,000 worldwide.

After explaining his upbringing as an adopted Korean in suburban Minnesota, Nadeau narrates his participation in the Summer Cultural Program (SCP) for Korean Adoptees, held annually since 1998 and sponsored by the Overseas Koreans Foundation (OKF).

He also analyzes a promotional film produced by OKF in 2005 called “Coming Home,” which overtly portrays Korean adoptees as children and reveals the complexities of South Korea’s “motherland” ideology.

He concludes by recommending that the OKF eliminate the SCP program, discontinue distribution of “Coming Home,” and focus on caring for the country’s most vulnerable populations, including single parents, disabled individuals and orphaned and abandoned children.

Nadeau credits S. Mara Faulkner, OSB, associate professor of English, and Mike Opitz, professor of English, for overseeing his essay’s progress.

“Nik’s inspirations turn into real questions, and his questions lead him to critical thinking, wide-ranging research and writing that is both personal and attentive to the world,” Faulkner said. “His essay is scholarship at its best.”

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is an annual competition designed to challenge college students to analyze the urgent ethical issues confronting them in today's complex world. Students are encouraged to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and are rational arguments for ethical action.

Full-time undergraduate juniors and seniors at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the United States are eligible to enter the essay contest.

After graduating in 2009, Nadeau would like to teach English through the Fulbright program in South Korea. Nadeau wishes to improve his Korean and maybe conduct research on adoption or Korean traditional percussion. He also may return to Guatemala to follow up on his current research on adoption there. Eventually, he may pursue a career in radio or print journalism, or enroll in a graduate school program in creative writing.