Ben Downs Expands His Worldview at The College of Wooster

As a resident of a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania, Ben Downs was hoping to find a college where he could broaden his cultural horizons and expand his worldview. Little did he know that he would find what he was looking for in another small town from a neighboring state.

A graduate of Derry Area High School and a resident of Latrobe, Pa., Downs heard about The College of Wooster from another Derry Graduate, Jesse Koski, who came to Wooster a few years earlier. That connection, and the fact that he was being recruited to play baseball, led Downs to pay a visit during his senior year in high school.

“When I came to campus, I felt unusually comfortable,” says Downs, the second of three children. “It just seemed like the right place for me.”

Encouraged by his first visit, but wanting to know more about the curriculum, Downs further explored the academic offerings. He became especially intrigued by Wooster’s nationally renowned Independent Study (I.S.) program, in which students select a topic of their choice and conduct research with one-on-one guidance from a faculty member that results in a thesis-like paper, a performance, or an exhibit of artwork. “I.S. really caught my eye,” he says. “To have an opportunity to come up with your own project and create something that no one has ever done before was really exciting.”

So Downs made the choice to attend Wooster, and he hasn’t been disappointed. “I haven’t had a class here that hasn’t been challenging in some way,” he says. “The professors make you do your work. They demand that you do your best to earn a good grade.”

The challenges for Downs have not been limited to the classroom. As a member of the Scot baseball team, one of the nation’s best in Division III, he has demonstrated comparable levels of commitment and dedication. “Coach (Tim) Pettorini is a legend on campus,” says Downs, who is a back-up first baseman for the Scots. “He brings a level of intensity that really forces you to balance things. It requires an adjustment, but he also makes it clear that he wants us to be good students before anything else.”

That type of concern has meant as much to him as anything else at Wooster. “The faculty here are very caring and always available for the students,” says Downs, who is majoring in history and Africana Studies. “Whenever I stop in at one of their offices, it often leads to a 20-25 minute conversation, not just about academics, but about life in general.”

The combination of Wooster’s strengths and Downs’ work ethic have produced impressive results, including his recent induction into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and largest academic honor society. He also was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, and was selected to participate in the Lilly Project for the Exploration of Vocation’s seminary semester, through which he spent last summer studying in South Africa.

“Wooster has shaped my life in ways that I probably won’t fully understand for several years,” says Downs, who is considering law school or a Ph.D. program that would enable him to pursue a career in higher education. “The thought process here is more liberal and open-minded. There are many opportunities to interact with different people from different cultures with different beliefs. The experience has set me on a track to grow and become a better person.”