Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
The 2026 recipient of the Gierke Family Memorial Scholarship is Alyssa Christensen, daughter of Sean and Kristen Christensen, of Louisiana, Missouri.
Alyssa will receive $2,000 toward her studies at Moberly Area Community College, where she hopes to finish her general education and prerequisites. Then, she plans to transfer to the University of Missouri for nursing and work toward a BSN, with intent to become an IVF/fertility nurse.
In high school, Alyssa was a member of the football and basketball cheer teams. She participated in FTA, FCA, FFA, NHS, Mass Media, Spirit Club, Interact, and FBLA.
The Jacob Adam Gierke Memorial Scholarship Award was first presented in 1991, in memory of Jacob Gierke, who died in an accident in 1989 at the age of 16. His grandfather, Victor A. Gierke, became publisher of the Louisiana Press-Journal in 1949. He was MPA president in 1961 and inducted into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1993.
Victor’s son, Jim, ultimately became owner and president of the newspaper company, expanding the operation to a nationally recognized multi-paper publishing and commercial printing business. After Jacob’s brother, Christian, was killed in an automobile accident in 2010 and Jim died from a brain aneurysm in 2011, Jim’s eldest son, Brent, rededicated the scholarship in memory of all of them.
The scholarship is administered by the Missouri Press Foundation. The Louisiana Alumni & Friends Association selects the recipients.
