Tyler French earns IBNA scholarship

2017 May 1

Wartburg College student Tyler French was awarded the Iowa Broadcast News Association's Eliot A. Keller Scholarship at the association's annual convention in Des Moines on April 22.

French, the son of Mary and Gary French, is a junior majoring in journalism and communication from Cumming. The $500 annual scholarship "is designed to recognize outstanding promise at an early career stage for an individual intending to pursue a career in radio," according to the IBNA.

"I'm honored and humbled to receive this scholarship. It was amazing to not only get an award named after someone who made such an impact on the radio world, but having my parents and grandparents there meant the world to me," French said. "To speak at the same luncheon as Gary Dolphin also was a special experience, as I have looked up to the 'Voice of the Hawkeyes' for years. Meeting one of my idols was just a great way to wrap up an incredible day."

French is a sports director, announcer and DJ for KWAR, the college's radio station; an announcer and director for Knight Vision Sports, the college's live-streaming network; and a producer and reporter for Knight Vision News. He also is a staff writer for the Wartburg Trumpet, the college newspaper, and will become its editor-in-chief this fall.

Outside of the department, French is an ambassador for the Admissions Office, on the executive team for the Wartburg Chapter for the National Society of Leadership and Success, a member of Phi Eta Sigma and a member of the Society of Collegiate Journalists. He also is a manager for the women's basketball team and a member of Dance Marathon.