Adam Duwel ’21 is an Elder Alumnus and current student at Ball State University. Recently, Elder announced that Duwel will be teaching at Elder during the upcoming 2024-25 school year. The Quill sat down with Adam Duwel to learn more about his past at Elder, involvement at Ball State, and plans for classes.

During Duwel’s initial stint as a student at Elder, he was involved and strived for the higher things. “I was involved in many different clubs and organizations,” Duwel shared with The Quill. “I was a part of the Elder News Network and the Seton/Elder Performing Arts Series.” Duwel said he tended to stay “behind the scenes,” yet Duwel stated he got to experience a little bit of everything.

During Duwel’s senior year, he took a more active role in broadcasting: “I was in charge of broadcasting all of the performances due to limited attendance because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

This active role at Elder has inspired Duwel to study sports production at Ball State University, where Duwel is heavily involved with Ball State Sports Link. Sports Link is the first 4-year program in the nation that focuses on sports production and is nationally recognized as a leader in that college field. Duwel said, “I have been able to grow my skills on the live production side and the postproduction side.”

Now that Duwel’s time at college is coming to an end, The Quill is interested in why Duwel chose to return to his Alma Mater. Duwel said, “When I was a student at Elder and a part of the Elder News Network, I fell in love with broadcasting. […] I wanted to be back at Elder teaching the next generation of broadcasters to try new things and push themselves to do bigger and better things.”

Because Duwel has done broadcasting at a professional level, his decision to return to Elder may come as a shock to some, for he could have had a job at any number of prestigious sports broadcasting networks. Still, Duwel doesn’t see it that way: “I will still be involved in broadcasting, just teaching it to the next generation.”

Using his wealth of broadcasting knowledge, Duwel will be teaching the elective classes Mass Media and Broadcasting. “Students can expect to learn a lot of different skills within the media and broadcasting world,” Duwel told The Quill.

Additionally, Duwel wants these classes to be “the classes that I never got to be in at Elder!” He hopes to apply hands-on experience with software and equipment so students will know “how a broadcast works and what it takes to make a broadcast good.”

Duwel expressed to The Quill his excitement about teaching at Elder, saying, “I am excited to work with the students every day I am there. I cannot wait to work alongside the talented faculty and staff at Elder to continue the rich tradition of Elder High School.”

Since Duwel graduated from Elder in 2021, he has remained a Panther, offering his services at the Elder Technology Department during the summer.

Adam Duwel concluded his interview by saying, “I cannot thank the administration enough for giving me this opportunity to come back to Elder to teach and to lead the broadcast crew. It is truly a dream come true for me. I cannot wait to graduate from Ball State and start my career teaching the great field of broadcasting to the Men of Elder!”