Defiance's Lucas Thomeier receives state service award

May 4, 2021Lucas Thomeier

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance College senior Lucas Thomeier, Wickliffe, Ohio, is one of 12 college and university students in Ohio to receive the Charles J. Ping Student Service Award for 2021 as sponsored by Ohio Campus Compact.

The Charles J. Ping Award was designed to recognize and honor undergraduate students' outstanding leadership, as well as their contributions to community service on their campus and within their community. This award is granted annually to undergraduates from Ohio Campus Compact member institutions.

Thomeier will be graduating with a double major in math and sport management with a minor in business. On the Defiance College campus, he is a service leader who accumulates an average of 150 hours of community service each year. He is an active member in multiple student organizations and works as a volunteer with young children at the local YMCA.

In addition to the work he has done on campus and in the community, Thomeier is also driven to help those in the global community. As a McMaster Scholar to Belize, he completed a research project instructing students, teachers, and parents about the symptoms and responses to traumatic brain injuries. He also taught invaluable emergency response skills to isolated communities in rural Belize.

Furthermore, Thomeier was recently recognized as a Newman Civic Fellow for his passion for helping others, both locally and internationally. He was nominated by Defiance College President Richanne C. Mankey.

Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The College is guided by the four pillars of its mission: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve. The College website is www.defiance.edu.