Sawyer Scheitler is a young man that takes the meaning of giving back to an entirely other level.
Throughout Sawyer’s life, education and service have gone hand in hand. From his many service trips abroad to setting his sights on a future helping others, this Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory student embodies the college preparatory school’s core values of developing leaders and of using one’s talents to promote justice and the greater good.
Now, as he looks towards college and a future in medicine, this Zionsville, Indiana native has the potential and an innate desire to use the opportunities and skills he has been afforded to help “mak[e] society a better place” and “do everything in [his] power to make others’ lives better.”
Setting the Foundation
Growing up, Sawyer’s work ethic and desire to help out his fellow man drew his interests to medicine. Those interests were fostered at a young age thanks to Sawyer’s personal talents and exceptional academic performance. In 8th grade, Sawyer became one of only 52 nationwide recipients of a scholarship from the Jack Cooke Kent Foundation. The Foundation provides one of the nation’s largest scholarships and is committed to assisting students of exceptional talents but limited means.
Through the Foundation’s Young Scholars Program, Sawyer was able to participate in hands on programs giving back to those less fortunate in countries such as Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Tanzania, Africa, and Haiti. Sawyer’s favorite experiences among these visits paints a picture of a young man with a capacity for generosity and commitment to service, well beyond his years.
Sawyer was particularly impacted by his time spent teaching English at a primary school in Tanzania and his trip to Haiti where he was able to work with doctors who brought much needed medical care to people in remote areas. It was the latter that would ultimately inspire and guide him to pursue an education that would one day prepare him for a career in medicine.
A Major Life Choice
In addition to travel and community service, the Jack Cooke Kent Foundation scholarship also provided Sawyer the financial means to make the difficult decision to attend a private high school. While this choice meant leaving the familiar friends and community he’d grown used to, Brebeuf has opened Sawyer’s eyes and heart to the opportunity to serve at a higher level.
In Sawyer’s own words, “from the beginning, [he] knew [he] had landed at a wonderful place.” Sawyer views his education and experience at Brebeuf as his “saving grace” and credits the school for helping him become the person he was “truly meant to be.
Brebeuf has also further aided Sawyer’s passion for service and for helping others and has enriched his academic career while allowing this talented youth to pursue subjects he loves such as biology, anatomy and psychology. In addition, Sawyer has been able to attend pre-college programs at both Yale and Harvard, paving the way for an exceptional college career.
Funding Higher Education
Once Sawyer chose a career path in medicine, there was no looking back. The personal academic and college counselor available through the Young Scholars Program helped the star pupil narrow down his college options, finally deciding on Northwestern University in Illinois as the top choice for pre-med studies. Thanks to the prestigious and highly competitive QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship, Sawyer will be attending with all four years’ tuition, room and board covered.
His exceptional academic abilities and travels helping others have helped Sawyer earn a variety of scholarships to fund his goals. The list of impressive accomplishments to date include:
- ELK’s National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship (Indiana)
- QuestBridge National College Match Scholar
- Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar
- Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship
- Brebeuf Compton Family Endowed Scholarship
- Sagamore Institute Scholarship – Brebeuf Jesuit
More than Just a Career
While his educational and service achievements are certainly impressive, for Sawyer, it is all a means to an end. Giving back has been a constant theme to this remarkable student’s life and extracurricular activities and his time at Brebeuf has certainly encouraged and built upon his fundamental personality traits and compassionate character.
Sawyer credits Brebeuf for encouraging his passions and setting an example of servitude. He also praises the school for fostering an atmosphere of “love and respect for the students, unlike any school in the country.” Brebeuf is well known for producing exceptional leaders and Sawyer plans to follow in the footsteps of the graduates that have come before him.
As this exceptional student puts it (more eloquently than we ever could) Sawyer plans to “make [Brebeuf] proud of the man I plan to become and the foundation Brebeuf has given me will be the true testimony of their mission.”
If Sawyer is half as successful in this mission as he has been in his life endeavors to date, we have no doubt he’ll achieve his goal and more, making an impact on the community and making the world a better place through his service in the process.
