Communication major wins statewide journalism scholarship

By Liz Carey

For Anderson University student Chris Stiles, an application for an internship turned into a scholarship for his final year of school.

Stiles, a communication major with a concentration in digital media, was awarded the Mundy Scholarship from the South Carolina Press Association in March. He said the scholarship will come in handy as he works toward graduation in May 2017.

Already the recipient of the President’s Scholarship, Stiles said the Mundy Scholarship would cover what the other scholarship wouldn’t.

“Named after R. Frank Mundy, the late publisher of the Greenwood Index Journal, the scholarship is awarded to the most promising journalism student in South Carolina who shows potential through his or her writing and schoolwork,” said Bill Rogers, executive director of the South Carolina Press Association.

“We try to pick someone who has a strong interest in journalism, as well as a strong academic background,” Rogers said. “What stood out was his freelance writing with the Anderson Independent Mail and his work with the sports information services at Anderson University. He has a strong writing portfolio that helped him stand out.”

Rogers said Stiles was one of 15 applicants for the scholarship this year, and the first Mundy Scholarship winner from Anderson University. Stiles said he initially sent the application in as an application for an internship. After filling out the application, he included some of his freelance work in the sports department at the Independent Mail, as well as a story about a roommate and a story about the ground-breaking of the new G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center.

Stiles, whose interest in journalism began in high school, started his writing career as the assistant editor, and then editor of the Shall-Go, the school newspaper for Latta High School in Dillon, South Carolina.

“There were only 94 people in my class, soeveryone did a little of everything,” he said. “Sports are my main interest, but I’m willing to do whatever I can once I graduate.”

Stiles also held an internship at Asheboro, North Carolina’s The Courier-Tribune, writing about baseball.

Robert Reeves, assistant professor of communication and chair of AU’s communication department, said he wasn’t surprised that Stiles won the scholarship, based on his dedication to his chosen profession.

“It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that Chris eats and sleeps reporting,” Reeves said. “This summer, for instance, in addition to his work with baseball team, he worked as an intern with The Courier-Tribune; he also keeps a steady stream of excellent commentary going on his blog and Twitter feed. Chris understands that reporting in the twenty-first century means producing content on a steady, consistent basis, and he is training himself to do just that.”

Jobs in journalism are hard to get right out of school, Stiles said, but he’s sure his training from AU will help him in his career and life after school.

“There’s been some good hands-on stuff that we’ve done,” he said. “One of our professors, Mr. Reeves, is a working professional, so he gives us good insight into the field.”

Additionally, the school has helped him to balance his faith with his chosen career.

“A big part of journalism is ethics, and doing what’s right. As a person of faith, those ethical questions are important to me. Anderson University has helped me to balance those two so that I can be a better journalist.”