Support Ethos

Jan double-majored in mathematics and computer science.  She worked a few years as a programmer, and then raised their four children. She later earned a teaching credential and taught math in a Catholic grade school for a number of years. Bob majored in electrical engineering at UD, later earning a master’s degree from USC, and a Ph.D. from Stanford. He has owned his own business for over 35 years and has worked as an expert witness in patent litigations. 

According to Bob, "we are both retired but Jan stays busy with exercising, talking to her grandchildren by FaceTime and working with middle schoolers in an after-school math club. I am involved in Boy Scouts and love to camp with my scouts and help them earn their catholic religious emblems. We also love to travel and camp with our little camper. We returned from a memorable pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

What we really love about Ethos is that it combines two great opportunities for UD students. First, it gives students the opportunity to help people in different environments or cultures so it provides a way for students to understand the needs of other people and serve them. Second, it gives students practical experience in their field of study which will be very helpful when they apply for their first job after graduation.  Employers see many students who are 'book smart' but who have never applied their education to a real-world situation.  Ethos helps to provide this experience and helps the student stand out to a potential employer. We have seen students who have been transformed by their Ethos experience. By serving others, they put other people before themselves while applying their education to help solve real-world problems.  We think Ethos is an outstanding program and we are happy to support it.”

“I graduated with a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in 2019. My 1st Ethos immersion was in Bangalore, India with the SELCO Foundation. My 2nd immersion was to Cochabamba, Bolivia with Energética.

Ethos is close to my heart because it puts students in educational positions they likely would have never found themselves in. Ethos is not just about teaching how to do engineering work or how to function in a different society. To me, Ethos is about making meaningful connections with others and learning how the world can work in ways other than how one learns in the United States. Quite literally, my everyday life is affected by Ethos. I met someone working at SELCO Foundation who recommended that I look into taking a master's degree in a particular program in Sweden. I followed his advice, did that program, and I've been living in Europe ever since. Ethos has taught me to be resilient and accepting in working with other cultures, which has been particularly beneficial in working in Europe.

Ethos is what you make of it. No two Ethos students have the same experience, and that is a beautiful thing. I do think that it is important to realize that Ethos principles do not end when you return from an immersion; it is often most important to bring humanitarian principles back home. From what I've been told, the local Ethos immersions are some of the best because they teach that you don't need to be far from home to get the authentic Ethos experience.”

~ Ryan Kronk

For Tom Tappel ’18, ’21, the best way to learn, lead and serve within the Dayton community was to look to the future — of energy. Tappel graduated from the University of Dayton in 2018, then spent some time working as an engineer. But it wasn’t until a graduate assistantship with The Ethos Center a few years later that Tappel dove into learning everything he could about the household energy burdens disproportionately impacting low-income families around America. He found many of those families live in buildings that were not at all energy-efficient.

“I recognized the need for more investment in this area of sustainability and housing justice,” said Tappel.

His research led to his involvement with the group that is now Dayton Energy Collaborative. As its executive director, Tappel works to find energy retrofit solutions that meet the needs of the Dayton community.

“It hasn't always been clear what the next steps were, and I've definitely taken the long way around a few times, but I'm grateful to have found this work and this life here,” said Tappel.

Tappel also found a unique way to stay connected to his Dayton roots. He’s now the assistant coach of the UD Club women’s ultimate Frisbee team.

“I'm thrilled to be back on Stuart Field in a new capacity, even with 10:30 p.m. practices on Wednesdays,” said Tappel.