The Biola University Alumni Association handed out its annual awards at a special chapel service on Feb. 17, recognizing two individuals and one family for their accomplishments and service.

a group of award recipients


Cultural Impact Award: Christine Colón (’90), writer and an associate professor of English at Wheaton College. Colón is the author of Joanna Baillie and the Art of Moral Influence and co-author of Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today’s Church, which won an award of merit in the Christianity Today Book Awards in 2010.

Legacy Award: The Cole Family — Howard Cole (’64), Brad (’78) and Christy (Montgomery, ’77) Cole, Amy (Cole, ’03) Brown and Megan Cole (’06, M.A. ’08). The Coles are a family with deep roots at Biola and a wide impact on the world: as pastors, educators, coaches, business people and (in Brad’s case) a Biola trustee.

Young Alumnus Award: Dan Parris (’08), filmmaker and activist. Parris directed and edited Give A Damn?, a documentary about global poverty which screened at several film festivals and won best documentary at the Cinema Saint Louis Filmmakers Showcase. Parris presents his film at schools and churches, speaking about extreme poverty and how youth can make a difference.