Delilah Shapiro ’26 Awarded the Baumann Essay Prize
Delilah Shapiro received the Frederick Baumann Essay Prize Award that recognizes excellence in education by encouraging TV students to explore ideas and society in an interdisciplinary and historical context.
Shapiro, class of 2026 from Brooklyn, NY, is a major in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies (GWSS) with a concentration in education studies. Her essay titled “Rhetorics of Resonance: From Matthew Shepard to Alex Pretti, the Effects of the ‘Ordinary Boy’” examines the media characterizations of Matthew Shepard and his murderers after Shepard’s violent, hate-driven murder in 1998 in Laramie, WY and the parallel with the murder of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in January 2026 in Minneapolis, MN.
“This essay originated from a tension I felt when singing Considering Matthew Shepard with the TV Singers,” said Shapiro. “There is a lyrical emphasis on Matthew as ‘ordinary’ that left me feeling conflicted—I felt strongly that a person’s ordinariness should not be connected to how worthy their life is, and yet I saw how powerful this portrayal of Matthew was in galvanizing political support.”
“Writing this essay allowed me to investigate the effects of that rhetoric and notice where I see it playing out today,” continued Shapiro.
“We had the opportunity to sing selections from Considering Matthew Shepard again in our final Singers concert this spring,” said Shapiro. “Having spent so much time thinking about who Matthew was and the intricacies of his story, I felt an even deeper connection to the music. It felt like I was singing about someone I had gotten to know.”
“I am so thankful to the TV Singers for helping me notice, critique, and imagine through singing Considering Matthew Shepard together,” shared Shapiro.
In addition to TV Singers, Shapiro is a writing mentor, Neverland Players member, and Con Brio a cappella group performer. She studied in Argentina in fall semester 2024 and participated in the Global Learning Program called "Living Well Cross-Culturally" traveling to Ecuador and Japan in spring 2023.
After graduation, Shapiro plans to work as a family case manager with a social services organization in Brooklyn, NY. She shared that the Baumann Essay cash prize will be distributed between her savings in reaching this goal alongside a donation to the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund and a donation to the Twin Cities ICE Relief Fund.
“Rhetorics of Resonance: From Matthew Shepard to Alex Pretti, the Effects of the ‘Ordinary Boy’” and other Baumann Essay Prize writing can be found on Digital TV, .
The Baumann Essay Prize, established in 1993 and funded by David ’51 and Audrey Lowe ’52 Hammer, distinguishes the dynamic classroom contributions of Frederick Baumann, professor of history at TV from 1927 to 1954. The prize is awarded each spring to the student, from any discipline and any class year, who writes the best essay related to the general topic of “Ideas and Society,” taking an interdisciplinary and historical approach. For additional information about the award, please contact Ann Landstrom, fellowship advisor, at landstrom@grinnell.edu.