Mitchell Galloway, The University of Olivet senior and editor of the Echo student newspaper, was awarded a prestigious Michigan Press Association (MPA) Foundation Community Journalism Scholarship during the MPA’s annual convention Jan. 28-29 in Grand Rapids.
Galloway, of Coldwater, is one of 11 student journalists from around the state of Michigan chosen unanimously by the MPA Foundation for the honor. He was given the award during a ceremony at the Amway Grand Hotel, in front of hundreds of newspaper publishers, editors, reporters, and student journalists and advisors.
“Mitch Galloway is a true journalist,” said Joanne Williams, Echo advisor and associate professor of journalism and mass communication at Olivet. “He understands the ideas that the institution wants to foster – creative thinking, objectivity, information and, the hard work it takes to report and then write. His greatest talent is his writing, and it has been a pleasure to watch him grow and prosper in the field. He gets good journalism and was awarded this scholarship from journalism professionals because he practices the craft.”
In addition to being a third-year editor of the Echo, Galloway is a regular freelance contributor to the Battle Creek Enquirer, doing a variety of sports reporting. He also works with Olivet’s Office of College Relations, writing and editing a variety of print and digital projects, and has served as social media intern with Michigan’s Big Show in Lansing.
While participating in the two-day convention, Galloway also got a chance to meet Gov. Rick Snyder and State Sen. Rick Jones from District 24, as well as other lawmakers from across the state. In addition, student journalists were invited to tour the Grand Rapids MLive Hub, and attend a variety of information sessions with journalism professionals from across the nation.
Galloway is also a past recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Larry Laurain Journalism Scholarship, awarded by the Detroit chapter of the SPJ in 2014.
He is the second Echo staff member to win the scholarship, following on the heels of former Echo editor Eleni Mitropoulos, class of 2007.
About the Journalism and Mass Communication Program at The University of Olivet
The University of Olivet’s journalism and mass communication major is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of careers in the media and other communications-related industries. Through hands-on experience in a variety of mass communication disciplines, students develop strong written, oral and interpersonal communication skills which contribute to success in any communications-related career.
About the Michigan Press Association Foundation
The Michigan Press Association Foundation was created in 1980 to further the interests of community journalism in Michigan. It was established to serve the public interest by encouraging, fostering and aiding improvement in the quality, vigor and fairness of journalism and a free press in the state of Michigan, as well as to make scholarships, grants, stipends, gifts and financial aid available to worthy journalism students in Michigan who show outstanding promise and achievement..
PHOTO: Mitch Galloway speaks with Julie Hoogland, editor of MLive Grand Rapids Press, during the MPA convention.