Anshika Singh, a 2021 Wartburg College graduate, is the recipient of the college’s Robert C. Gremmels Graduate Fellowship.

The $10,000 fellowship will be applied toward her graduate studies at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, where she is working toward a master’s degree in emerging media design and development. The program is designed to teach graduate students why successful messaging works while immersing them in hands-on learning experiences.

“Anshika is one of the most affable and inquisitive students that I have ever had the privilege to instruct. She has a passion for inquiry and the drive to succeed in whatever she chooses to tackle,” said Penni Pier, Wartburg’s Grant L. Price Chair in Journalism & Communication. “Anshika is one of those students who gives her all and dives into her studies with determination.”

The scholarship was made possible by the Robert C. Gremmels Endowment Fund, created by a $200,000 gift from Harold and Grace Kurtz, Wartburg alumni who graduated in 1958 and 1961, respectively. The fund honors Gremmels, a professor emeritus who served the college from 1960 to 1993. He also was the first Wartburg graduate to earn a master’s degree in journalism.

“The journalism program at Wartburg helped me learn all the hard skills I needed to create an effective communication message,” Singh said. “However, I always wanted to learn why do we do things the way we do. Why do we follow all the design and video creation rules? This program will help me fulfill that thirst for education.”

At Ball State, Singh also serves as a graduate assistant social media content creator and graphic designer for Sponsored Projects Administration. After earning her master’s degree, she hopes to work in advertising.

“The skills I learned at Wartburg and the research I am doing for my master’s degree will help me thrive in the field,” Singh said. “I am forever grateful for Wartburg, where I was able to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and then was provided the medium to achieve it.”