Knox College student Niki Acton ‘16 has been named to Glamour magazine's 2015 list of Top 10 College Women.

Glamour's annual Top 10 College Women competition, now in its sixth decade, recognizes students from across the country for their campus leadership, scholastic achievement, community involvement, and unique, inspiring goals. An article on the Top 10 College Women appears in the May 2015 issue of Glamour.

Acton, who is double-majoring in creative writing and theatre, has received multiple awards for playwriting. Her play, War, was among seven winners in the 2013 National Playwriting Competition. She hopes to pursue a career as a playwright or director on Broadway.

"Her plays get everyone talking," the Glamour article says. "Acton's scripts, on subjects like school shootings and same-sex relationships in 1960s Mississippi, have won three national competitions; her play War debuted in New York City in 2014." (Photo above: Niki Acton. Photo by Justin Coit, Glamour Magazine.)

At Knox, Acton works closely with faculty members, including Elizabeth Carlin Metz, Smith V. Brand Distinguished Professor of Theatre Arts, and Sherwood Kiraly, visiting instructor in English and theatre and writer-in-residence.

"Niki definitely has her finger on the pulse of her times and represents a deeply engaged and aware sensibility," Metz says. "She is the kind of student who is in charge of her education, seeks challenges, and is hungry to take on the world."

"I am not alone among my colleagues to think that Niki is poised to go far. She has all the right stuff," Metz added. "That she has garnered this much attention so young is indicative of her talent, her grit, and her spirit. I have no doubt that she has a vivid future in front of her."

Kiraly says that Acton "has a stunning resume for one so young" -- and she'll keep building on her foundation.

"She will not settle for less than she is capable of," says Kiraly. "She will continue to learn and write out of her own intelligence, empathy and imagination, enriched by experience. She has a chance to be among the few professional writers who produce something unforgettable, and I expect her to -- more than once."

As one of the winners, Acton will receive a cash prize, a trip to New York City, introductions to top professionals in a variety of fields, national recognition in Glamour magazine, and hair styling and makeup for the awards ceremony complements of L'Oréal Paris.

In addition to Acton, the magazine's Top 10 College Women for 2015 are:

• Grand Prize Winner Mansi Prakash, New York University, economics major. Glamour selected Prakash as this year's grand prize winner and recipient of the $20,000 grand prize.
• Vanessa Alejandro, University of Houston Honors College, geology major.
• Shree Bose, Harvard University, molecular and cellular biology major.
• Elizabeth Brajevich, Michigan State University Honors College, environmental economics and policy major.
• Lily Herman, Wesleyan University, government and sociology major.
• Olivia Pavco-Giaccia, Yale University, cognitive science major.
• Divya Ramamoorthy, University of Texas at Austin, biomedical engineering major.
• Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford University, communication major.
• Meghan Warner, University of California Berkeley, sociology major.

This year's Glamour Top 10 winners will be honored on April 13 at an awards ceremony and panel discussion, sponsored by L'Oréal Paris in New York City. The panel, "How to Get Your Dream Job -- The New Success Secrets for 2015," will be hosted and moderated by Glamour's editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive.