• Current Scholars
• Alumni
• Dream Big
• Scholar Travels
• Scholar Art & Music
• Scholar Stories
• The Scholar Experience

Ian M. Downing

Biography

Ian Downing was the salutatorian of his high school class and a participant in the International Baccalaureate Organization's Diploma Program, a demanding pre-university course of study designed for highly motivated secondary school students aged 16 to 19. A straight-A student, Ian says grades are not his motivation, but that he is driven by "a love for learning."

At the University of Toledo, Ian is majoring in Spanish and humanities. Upon graduation, he plans to join the Peace Corps. His ultimate career goal is to work for a nonprofit organization in the human services sector. "I would consider myself to have had a successful career if I was able to say that I worked hard every day at helping make the lives of others better," he says. He is currently working for a homeless shelter that works with families and individuals that do not speak English.

Ian's passion to help people was inspired by previous volunteer work for an organization committed to helping people with HIV/AIDs. He describes the experience there as both "awe inspiring and emotionally taxing." It also was the experience that led him to have as his career goal working in the nonprofit world.

Other Scholars Like Ian