Gabriel Dietz

PROFILE: Now in his early 30s, Gabriel Dietz got a bit of a late start on his college career. But the Northern California native has no regrets because for a good portion of his 20s, he toured throughout the US and Canada as a performer with Plexus, a circus arts troupe. He had the opportunity at every show to express his creativity and make someone smile as he juggled or did acrobatics to the delight of the audience.  The group of performers used their talents not only to entertain, but also to express constructive social commentary. It was a “thinking man’s circus.” His traveling days behind him, and an Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship in hand, Gabriel’s future is wide open. Also a certified Yoga instructor, Gabriel is a quiet, calm man who methodically thinks everything through. He hopes to someday teach on the college level and share with future students his love for classical authors such as Homer, Virgil, Plato, and Sophocles. He is also a student of history. “I firmly believe that in order to understand where we are we must first become deeply familiar with where we came from,” Gabriel said.

INSPIRATION: About the time he dropped out of high school, Gabriel realized the beauty of knowledge. Some might find it odd he had to leave school to discover such an important fact, but he is inspired to this day by his quest to learn. “Scholarship to me is not a means to a career, but a true vocation in the classical sense of the word,” said Gabriel. “A calling that comes from the heart and soul, not just the mind.”

ASPIRATION: Gabriel aspires to teach at the college level and to share his love for knowledge and truth to his students. He hopes someday to become as good a teacher and mentor as Dr. Roger Ekins of Butte College, the professor to whom Gabriel owes the most credit.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Gabriel said that winning the Foundation’s scholarship is “pretty hard to top! To be picked from among the brightest and most accomplished transfer students in the country is truly an honor, and the award is a life changing opportunity.”

ACCOLADES: Gabriel was named the Butte College Honor Scholar of the Year for 2008-2009, and was selected to have his writings on “Oedipus Rex” published in Phi Theta Kappa’s Nota Bene.

INTERESTING FACT: At various points in his life, Gabriel made his living as a jewelry artist, painter, performer, and mixed-media visual artist.