Every year at homecoming, Geneva College recognizes a number of alumni who have shown exceptional service to the College, community, and God. There are three specific types of awards that can be awarded: Young Alumni Award, Alumni Award, and Distinguished Service Award.

Alumni Award Recipients

The Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated faithful service to God and neighbor, servant-leadership and achievement in their career, and embodies the values of unchanging biblical truth in a complex and changing society.

This year, the following alumni are awarded this honor: Evniki (Sterrett) Edgar '96 and David Jackson' 09.

Evniki (Sterrett) Edgar was born in Kobe, Japan, to parents from Beaver Falls and Cyprus. Her parents served there as missionaries for 24 years, and Evniki was with them in Japan from birth till age 18. She was privately tutored as a young child and then attended the Canadian Academy in Kobe for high school.

Her earliest idea of America was her grandmother's house, one block from Geneva's campus. She matriculated at Geneva in the fall of 1992 and, having been raised speaking English, Japanese, and a little Greek and French, she was fascinated with the introductory linguistics course. She combined coursework at Geneva with courses from the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of Oregon and became Geneva's first linguistics major, graduating in 1996.

Evniki met John Edgar at the RP International Conference in 1996 and moved to be near him in Philadelphia. They were married at College Hill RP Church in 1997 and celebrated their reception in Skye Lounge. After working as a receptionist and an ESL teacher, she began a doctoral program in linguistics at the University of Delaware. She then chose to graduate with her master’s degree in linguistics and worked while her husband finished seminary.

The Elkins Park Reformed Presbyterian Church called John to be its pastor in the fall of 2002. Evniki has served next to John ever since. She has on occasion taught Sunday School classes and led the singing. She is always a compassionate listener and a generous host. On two occasions she and her family hosted a mother and child for several months as they sought asylum in the United States.

After working as an editor from 2000-2002, Evniki returned to school and received a certificate in computer science. She then worked as a programmer for 10 years at ASTEA International, a business life-cycle management software company.

Her three children were born between 2007 and 2014. After her youngest child was born, the Elkins Park congregation was able to provide John with a large enough salary that Evniki was at last able to stay home full-time. She was then able to raise her children without the pressure of work and host the families mentioned above. Her children are walking with the Lord and excelling in academics, music, and athletics. In the past year she has returned to work part-time in the AI space, while at church she continues to be a welcoming friend and a reassuring listener to many.

The Elkins Park RP Church was formally disorganized between 1998 and 2001, yet now it is home to a thriving congregation that the Lord has gathered from several nations. Evniki's hospitality and ready eagerness to love Christians from other countries has been an essential part of the Lord's work in rebuilding this older congregation.

David Jackson, a Pennsylvania native, earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Geneva College in 2009. Since graduating, he has worked continuously for Michael Baker International, an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Moon Township, PA.

A registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania and Michigan, David specializes in highway design and the delivery of diverse transportation projects for local and regional clients, including PennDOT, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, and the City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. He also has national experience serving as a discipline lead and partnering with contractors on complex design-build projects in Texas, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Most recently, David served as lead highway engineer for the State Route 28 Highland Park Interchange Improvement Project and as project manager for the Interstate 376 Squirrel Hill Interchange Project. While continuing to provide technical engineering design services on numerous projects, he became highway department manager, leading a staff of 18 engineers and technicians. In 2022, he received the Young Engineer of the Year Award from both the Pittsburgh chapter and the statewide organization of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers. David also participated in Leadership Pittsburgh’s 2024 Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) XXXII cohort, a program focused on leadership development, community engagement, and professional networking.

David is an active member of professional organizations, including the American Society of Highway Engineers and the American Council of Engineering Companies. His previous leadership roles include treasurer of the Robinson Township Christian School Board; vice president and treasurer of Geneva College’s ASCE Student Chapter; vice chair for Administration of the Young Professionals in Transportation Pittsburgh Chapter; and captain of Geneva College’s team in the AISC Steel Bridge Competition.

Outside his professional career, David serves as an ordained ruling elder at New Life Presbyterian Church, a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) congregation in Hopewell Township, PA. He also enjoys outdoor adventures and competes regionally in mountain biking, endurance gravel, and cyclocross races. David married his high school sweetheart Abby in 2008, between his junior and senior years at Geneva. From 2008 to 2015, Abby worked in Geneva’s Degree Completion Program, helping working adults complete their undergraduate degrees, before leaving the position to raise their three children: Lucy, Felicity, and Jude. She now works part time as a teacher at Robinson Township Christian School, where their children are enrolled. The family lives in Moon Township with their golden retriever, Dolly.

In a world that prizes career advancement, recognition, and influence, David seeks above all to follow the call to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), serving and glorifying Christ through his daily relationships and responsibilities. In receiving this award, he encourages fellow alumni, current faculty, staff, and students to faithfully embrace the people, tasks, and opportunities God has placed before them, trusting that humble faithfulness in the ordinary work of God’s kingdom is never ordinary in His sight.