Owen Dent

 Owen Dent was born and raised in Wichita, KS. He has a younger brother, who has only challenged him to be the best. His father has been in elementary education for thirty-plus years, and his mother has worked at the VA hospital for twenty-five years, serving veterans in the eye clinic. Through his upbringing in the church and observing his parents, Owen has become accustomed to serving others, working diligently, and making a difference. He believes that without his family and the Lord’s blessings, he would not be the person that he is today.

From a young age, Owen has always been competitive and curious. When he wasn’t playing basketball, football, or baseball with his brother, he was reading, exploring, and asking questions about the world around him. When he aged out of youth sports at the YMCA, he turned to running, where he fell in love. During high school, Owen set the cross country school record for the 5-kilometer race at 15:39. He plans to carry his passion for running throughout the rest of his life.

Aside from athletics, Owen is very involved in his school and community. He is the President of the National Honor Society, a Student Council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes officer, and a member of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, Business Professionals of America, and EHS Ambassadors. Every year, around Thanksgiving and Christmas, he volunteers at his local food bank to provide groceries to families in need, helping them celebrate the holidays. During the summer, he volunteers at a STEM camp where he helps to teach elementary school students about Earth’s resources, engineering, bees, and entrepreneurial skills.

Academically speaking, Owen values the importance of learning. Throughout high school, he has taken the most challenging classes his school has offered, including college-level courses. He believes knowledge is easily attainable; you need to be curious and seek it out.

As he begins college, Owen wants to pursue the biological sciences and earn a degree in biology so he has the foundational knowledge necessary for medical school, where he plans to become a physician. His desire to serve others is what he plans to continue to do through the practice of medicine. He believes that being healthy is a gift, and helping someone attain better health would be the greatest gift he could give.

Owen is astounded to become a lifelong learning scholar. He is certain that the Timothy O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s support and influence, alongside the lifelong learning scholarship, will lead him to do greater things than he ever thought possible. He believes he aligns best with the Bible verse 1 Peter 4:10, which says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…” Now he believes, with the foundation’s help, that his legacy can be larger than his close circle, but on a global scale.