The Community Foundation for Crawford County is pleased to introduce Jakob Fishel, a 2025 recipient of one of the 20 Doug and Renee Leuthold Scholarship awards and one of the two Stan and Carolyn DeGreve Scholarship awards.
Jakob, the son of Darcie J. Fishel, is a 2024 graduate of Crestline High School. He is in his fourth year of a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology at North Central State College.
What is your favorite aspect of college life and why?
"The intimate atmosphere of the Kehoe Center is one of my favorite aspects of North Central State College. The classes there have around 20 students max, which allows the professors to help more people individually than a lecture hall. In addition to this, having my classes later in the day helps me be able to do more things I need done during the day, rather than being exhausted from classes."
What new interests or courses of study have you discovered at college?
"I have found that I really enjoy my engineering project classes. I enjoy designing the parts and then putting them together to test the results. The project I have been working on has to do with biomechanical engineering and has made me switch from thinking that I want to go for a Master's in chemical engineering, to being unsure if I want to get a Master's in chemical engineering or biomechanical engineering."
In what way has the college experienced changed/improved you?
"My college experience has improved my time management skills. My coursework and projects have pushed me to become more efficient at organizing my time. While I have always enjoyed my group work in my project classes, I had a recent experience where I had to complete the group project alone for the semester. This helped enhance my independence and problem-solving abilities."
What advice would you give an incoming college freshman?
"My advice for incoming college students would be to develop strong study abilities, especially if you never had to study much in high school. College coursework is different from high school, and dedicated study time is needed. In addition to this, utilize all the resources available to you such as tutoring if you find yourself struggling. There is no shame in needing a little more help to fully understand something. Finally, what I would say is one of the most important things is to get really good with time management. Balancing academics with personal life can sometimes get stressful, especially during midterms or finals."
What is one item on your bucket list and why?
"One item on my bucket list is to see a truly dark sky that is free from light pollution. I've wanted for awhile now to see the stars and the Milky Way unobscured by lights."
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Jakob!
To learn more about scholarships offered through the Foundation, visit www.cfcrawford.org/scholarships
