2014 Scholarship Award: David Adams of Taylor University

Evangelical Press Association awards the 2014 Mel Larson scholarship award to David Adams, who is completing his junior year at Taylor University. He has served on staff of the student campus publication, The Echo, throughout his college tenure and will become editor-in-chief during his senior year.

“As I have worked with David the past three years, I’ve noticed how others admire and respect him,” says Donna Downs, Associate Professor and Student Newspaper Adviser at Taylor University who completed David’s staff recommendation. “He is honest, trustworthy and dependable. In any given situation, David has high moral character, and his integrity shines through in reporting, writing, decision making and leadership.”

The Evangelical Press Association believes that Christian students should be prepared to be outstanding journalists and communications professionals, equipped with a biblically-based philosophy of journalism and the skills, knowledge and experience they will need to compete effectively for positions in a rapidly-changing media environment.

Upon hearing the news of the award, David responded with an email that included these sentences, “Your award is a vote of confidence, a sign that others share my passion for listening to the stories of God’s people and telling them effectively to a world that desperately needs to hear them. As I continue to practice my work and hone my writing and reporting skills, I will look back on this award with gladness, and it will spur me to meet the challenges I face and to glorify God in my successes.”

The scholarship fund helps students to enhance their abilities through their educational institutions. Some of our recipients have gone on to work for major publishing companies with local and national print and digital opportunities.

“University education is expensive,” says D’Arcy Maher, EPA’s executive director, “and scholarship assistance is a tangible way to encourage the next generation of journalists. It’s my hope that a recipient will be inspired by the knowledge that a professional organization recognizes their potential and welcomes them into the field.”