Dylan Baun, Class of 2008
Dylan Baun class of 2008 from Mars, Pa., knows the hard work and dedication it takes to be an honor student-athlete at Wittenberg. Baun believes he is passing his light at Wittenberg by “setting a bar” for student-athletes by maintaining a 3.61 grade point average and contributing to the men’s lacrosse program as a defensive midfielder.
Even with his busy schedule, Baun, a history major with a double minor in political science and religion, was recently invited to the Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention, the historical honors society, in Albuquerque, N.M. While there, he presented a paper he had written.
“This conference was truly amazing as it taught me that a lot more people care about history than I thought,” Baun said. “It is experiences like these that make the opportunities at Wittenberg stand out among the rest.”
Baun has found a great passion in the social sciences and humanities. His main academic interest is Middle Eastern history, which he said he found “because of the small structured class system of Wittenberg.”
“It has been an excellent education and social experience that has broadened my intellectual capacity in a way I would have never thought possible after high school,” he said.
The small class sizes make classroom discussions a staple of the everyday learning experience.
“[Small classes] have developed me as a sound debater and given me the ability to discuss my opinions and knowledge on certain educational aspects,” Baun said.
Along with being very involved in his classes, he also has great relationships with his professors.
“I have benefited greatly from this educational structure and would preach the ‘Witt Experience’ to anyone who was planning to come here for college,” Baun said.
His experiences as a student-athlete have helped shape his college experience, and he has enjoyed passing on what it takes to be a success in both the classroom and on the field to the men’s lacrosse underclassmen.
“The structure of college life is tough, but when you excel both on and off the field the rewards are truly unexplainable,” Baun said.
Baun plans to continue passing the light once his time at Wittenberg ends in Commencement Hollow in May. He plans to obtain a master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies that he said, “ties together a sound understanding of the language, history, politics, economics and cultures of the region.” He eventually hopes to pursue a career with the United States Department of State.
- Written by Sydney Bates ’08
- Photo by Robbie Gantt