Automotive student Daniel Diebold has been named a 2019 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities dedicated to campus-based civic engagement.
Diebold is a first-year student in the Automotive Technology Associate Degree program. He serves as vice president of NWTC’s Student Veterans Association and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), working to build funds to help other student veterans attend college. He served in the U.S. Army for 10 years.
Although he’s returned to civilian life, Diebold has not forgotten his military roots. Diebold works extensively within the community through the Student Veterans Association and other veterans’ groups. He also leads an effort to collect care packages for a recently deployed local National Guard Unit. He is dedicated to making life easier for veterans and their families by serving as a member of the DAV to promote and support better healthcare, education, and resources for veterans and their families.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Diebold said. ”I didn’t think what I was doing in my community with the DAV would make me a fellow. I do what I can and being recognized for it is pretty cool.”
His efforts aren’t going unnoticed by his NWTC mentors. “Dan has been very thoughtful and is always willing to help our student veterans whenever he can,” NWTC Veterans Education Benefits Specialist Andrea Fox.
Dan aspires to use Automotive Technology training to help others.
“After I graduate (from NWTC), I want to set up a shop that helps people on limited incomes get their vehicles fixed with manageable assisted payment plans,” Diebold said.
He, too, was on a fixed income and it ended up taking him two months to get his car fixed.
Diebold also wants to create a space inside his shop where veterans can work together and bond while fixing
a car. That’s because he sees his education as leading to something more than a diploma.
“As long as you put positivity out there, it will come back to you,” Diebold said.
Diebold expects to graduate in 2020 with a degree in Automotive Technologies.
The Newman Civic Fellows Awards honor the achievements of undergraduate and graduate student leaders who have taken action in pursuit of long-term social change, and who engage and inspire others in their communities through service, research and advocacy. The Newman Civic Fellows Awards are made possible through the generous support of the KPMG Foundation and the Newman’s Own Foundation.
