I am humbled & honored to announce that I was recently awarded an Evangelical Press Association (EPA) Higher Goals Student Writer of the Year award.

The EPA is a professional association of Christian publications — magazines, newspapers and newsletters — and content-rich websites. EPA's purpose is “to strengthen evangelical periodicals through inspiration, instruction, and networking.”

My piece, "A 'Radical' Response to Islamophobia," published in the August 2015 edition of Sojourners Magazine won 4th place in the Student Writer of the Year category.

As the EPA gathered in Lancaster, PA for its annual convention my friend Peter Slayton -- LCMS Social Media Manager -- sent me a message that read, "Congratulations on your EPA award." It was a surprise to me, but a welcome one.

Thank you to Sojourners Magazine, Betsy Shirley for editing my piece and nominating it, and to those who participated in the interviews for the article (Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, Ruth Nasrullah, Jon Huckins). I also encourage you to find and read the other award winners for more great content!