1 July 2026 | Bracknell, UK [Danilo Puskas]<\/p>\n
At the Newbold College of Higher Education Awards Ceremony on Sunday, 28 June, Danilo Puskas, Head of Student Life and Chaplaincy, honoured two students with a special award and heartwarming tribute, recognising their significant contribution to campus life. The following is the tribute he shared when\u00a0presenting\u00a0the award.<\/em><\/p>\n As part of this special day, we are honoured to present the Newbold Service Award in recognition of outstanding commitment to serving others. While we celebrate the academic success of our graduates, this is a reminder that the true test of theological education does not take place only in the classroom but, perhaps even more so, beyond it.<\/p>\n With this award, we recognise students who demonstrate integrity, foster a spirit of compassion, and contribute meaningfully to the nurturing, caring atmosphere we value so deeply at Newbold.<\/p>\n While so many of our students demonstrate admirable dedication to the life of service, this award has traditionally been given to one individual who has consistently embodied the spirit of service\u2014not only within Newbold, but also in the wider church and local communities. However, this year, we will have a small change to our tradition.<\/p>\n Staff at Newbold vote each year on who should receive this annual award. This year, they chose to recognise two individuals with the Newbold Service Award.<\/p>\n These two individuals have spent five consecutive years with us on campus, completing both their BA and MA degrees. This year\u2019s recipients are Adam Best and Leslie Dixon.<\/p>\n When they both arrived in September 2021, it was a significant time for Newbold. The College was undergoing a difficult restructuring, and during the 2020\/21 academic year, classes were fully online, leaving the campus and Halls of Residence almost empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n Then, in September 2021, the first brave students came to live and study with us on campus again. With just seven students in the dormitory that first year, I would say they all deserved an award. Together, they quickly reminded us of the beauty and strength of genuine community.<\/p>\n Since their very first days at Newbold and throughout their five years of study, Leslie and Adam have given so much to this community. During that time, they have seen three different principals, significant staffing changes, changes in the way our buildings have been used, and a constant flow of students arriving and graduating.<\/p>\n Through it all, one thing has remained unchanged: Adam and Leslie have always been there to serve, to welcome, and to nurture the spirit of community that has made Newbold a home for so many.<\/p>\n Leslie, Adam, the time I have this morning is simply too short to do justice to everything you have contributed during your years at Newbold. Through your many gifts and qualities, you have helped create a rich and memorable student experience.<\/p>\n Whether through preaching, music, spoken word, food, debates, life-changing conversations in the Schuil House lounge, humour, your example in caring for your health and wellbeing, your always-amazing fashion, or the important student voice you brought to our community, your impact has been deeply felt.<\/p>\n You have been a tremendous blessing to a college that was reshaping its identity. I remain deeply convinced that everyone God brought to Newbold\u2019s campus during the 2021\/22 academic year was here for a reason. You were part of restoring this place, helping to reshape it, renew it, and breathe new life into its community.<\/p>\n I believe God\u2019s timing was perfect. He led you to Newbold not only because you needed Newbold, but because Newbold needed you.<\/p>\n Thank you for everything you have done for the Newbold community. Whenever you see the number 125, remember that five of those years bear your imprint. You have helped shape this chapter of Newbold\u2019s history, and your legacy will continue long after you have left.<\/p>\n Congratulations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [Featured image: Asun Olvian<\/em>]<\/p>\n From left: Pastor Erton K\u00f6hler<\/span><\/span> (General Conference President), Danilo Puskas, Adam Best, Leslie Dixon, and Dan Serb<\/span><\/span> (Principal of Newbold College of Higher Education).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u2018Newbold Needed You,\u2019 Chaplain Tells Outstanding Students<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":26015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26084"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26107,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26084\/revisions\/26107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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