Senior Sunday: Alan Brads

By Esther Fultz

For senior journalism student Alan Brads, coming to Cedarville was not the decision he had originally anticipated. He considered attending Ohio State but decided not to because he would not be allowed to have a car on campus as a freshman and wanted to be able to visit his girlfriend at the time (now wife) Abby.

Some of Brads’ favorite things about Cedarville include the Bible minor, his professors, and the facilities on campus.

“I think the Bible minor is super effective and the way it’s laid out is logical and applicable,” Brads said. “And I know the professors is a super cliche answer, but especially within my major since it’s a smaller major, I like that all the professors, not just my advisor, have been very active in helping me find jobs and internships. And then with the facilities on campus, generally stuff works well. If I need something to print well, I do it on campus.”

Brads has lived off campus all four years, so he did not have a traditional college experience. Despite this, he was able to form close friendships within his major and appreciates the collaboration and community he has encountered at Cedarville.

“When you have these group projects, especially the first couple of years when nobody knows what you’re doing and you just have to collaborate and figure it out, it builds this fun kind of community,” Brads said. “My friends are more people based in my major because I never lived on campus but even with the non-traditional college experience, it’s still possible to build some relationships with people on campus.”

Brads would advise younger students at Cedarville to find some sort of community that can help them grow – whether that is on campus or elsewhere.

“My central community is really at my church, not on campus, and if I was going to give advice to someone younger, I would say that’s okay,” Brads said. “If you show up to Cedarville in the first semester and your life isn’t drastically changed, that’s okay. Don’t freak out. Find ways to grow, whether that’s community at Cedarville or in a church, and know it’s okay if Cedarville doesn’t magically fix all the problems in your life.”

After college, Brads hopes to be a sports journalist, particularly a print sports journalist in southwestern Ohio. Finding the exact job he wants is challenging considering the changing nature of the industry, but Ohio has more job opportunities in journalism than average with bigger newspapers like Dayton Daily News in the area. 

Brads believes Cedarville has prepared him well for a career in journalism and pointed to the professional growth he has experienced as a student.

“The main reason you go to college is to learn how to do something right, and I feel like a lot of people at many universities come away with a degree but not they didn’t necessarily learn four years worth of stuff,” Brads said. “I feel like I’ve effectively learned what to do after I graduate here in the spring in just three years. I had no idea how to be a journalist three years ago and now I feel pretty competent, so career-wise I definitely have grown a lot.”

Esther Fultz is a senior Social Work major and the Off Campus Editor for Cedars. When she’s not writing or editing for Cedars she enjoys thrifting, making coffee, exploring new places, and spending time with friends.

Photo by Logan Howard