The Community Foundation for Crawford County is pleased to introduce Douglas Weinandy, a 2021 recipient of one of the 19 Doug and Renee Leuthold Scholarship awards, one of the nine Glen and Alice Beers Scholarship awards, and one of the 19 Margaret and Donald Wenner, MD Scholarship awards.
Douglas, the son of Greg Weinandy and Terri Searcy, is a 2004 graduate of Bucyrus High School. He will be entering his first year of graduate school in justice, policy and leadership at Eastern Kentucky University this fall.
What is your favorite aspect of college life?
“My favorite aspect of college life is being challenged academically and intellectually. Professors have challenged me in many ways that have brought out the best I have to offer in this world. Recently, a professor told me that ‘goals and dreams don’t work … unless you do.’ I think this quote defines my college experiences. Hard work and sacrifices pay off in the end, and my goals can be achieved if I put forth the effort to achieve them.”
What new interest or courses of study have you discovered at college?
“There are a couple of areas of study that have really piqued my interest in college. First, I have become very interested in the study of law. It’s interesting to think about how systems of rules and guidelines have been developed to regulate behavior in our society. Diving into how and why laws were created in different jurisdictions allows for them to be interpreted differently. These modern and classical systems of rules have intrigued me since I began to study them academically.
I have also developed an interest in learning more about the conservation of wildlife. More specifically, the number of invasive species here in the United States has a large impact on the native wildlife that is essential to key natural resources. Another often ignored problem is the harmful algal (cyanobacteria) blooms that occur in Lake Erie. Most people don’t think about water being vital to modern society, but fresh and clean water will be a key part of global security efforts in the near future.”
In what ways has the college experience changed/improved you?
“My experiences in college have given me a sense of purpose and the ability to grow as a person. I’m an entirely different person than I was before my experiences at the collegiate level. It’s very motivating to be surrounded by other students who are eager to achieve their life-long goals and find their own path to achieving those goals. I enjoy spending time with these individuals and learning as much as I can from my instructors and peers. Networking and building these connections have opened up so many opportunities to advance my leadership abilities in all of my life pursuits.”
What advice would you give an incoming college freshman?
“The best advice I would give to any incoming college freshman is to challenge themselves. College is a time where people should abandon their comfort zones, and they should take more risks. Take advantage of the unique experiences and situations that are presented throughout those college years. Some people look at their college experiences as earning a piece of paper, but I look at those experiences as building the foundation for our future goals. There are a lot of people along the way that will offer their assistance in helping students achieve their goals. However, people will sacrifice quite a bit to help students seen as diligent hard-working individuals who make difficult sacrifices to achieve those goals.”
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Douglas!
To learn more about the scholarships offered through the Foundation, visit www.cfcrawford.org/scholarships.
