David Giffels presents Eckler Lecture

Author, professor, and journalist David Giffels shared his life story and tips of success with the Mount Union community on Wednesday Jan. 27 as guest speaker for the Eckler Lecture.

Outside of his lecture, Giffels spent the day with students and giving them advice about life after graduation.

“You get in, you pay your dues, work hard, and after a few years you’ll find yourself doing what you want to do,” he said.

Giffels is no stranger to hard work and determination, for it is the foundation which has given him all the success he has today.

Starting as a writer for the Medina County Gazette fresh out of college, Giffels worked his way to writing a column for the Akron Beacon Journal for 18 years, became a writer for the comedy show “Bevis and Butthead” and published his first book soon after.

“You live the kind of life you want to live when you’re a writer. It’s a very personally fulfilling profession,” said Giffels. 

Giffels shared that each one of his professions has given him a different aspect of thinking about writing.

“Each element of writing, whether it be book writing or journalism was a process of understanding how one event in my life could mean something for someone else,” Giffels explained.

 And, his writing has meant something for lots of “someone elses,” as he has touched the lives of many through his words. His book, “All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Fallen-Down House” won the Ohiana book award in 2009, he has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize six times, and he was also awarded “Best News Writer.”

Giffels enjoys writing and hopes that college students also get into a profession that they love. “Find something that matches your job and your interest,” Giffels advised. “With writing, every day is different because the world keeps changing, and I get a lot of fulfillment from that.”

For more information on Giffels’ writing and to order his book, visit

www.davidgiffels.com.

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