Tommy Manning | Student

Curiosity and Conservation

“My whole life I've been into environmentalism and sustainability,” says Tommy Manning ’26. Although both of his parents are pastors with degrees in the humanities – his mom in history and his dad in philosophy – they encouraged all three of their children to follow their interests. “They pushed for creativity and open mindedness, and they made it clear that we had a responsibility to pursue what we wanted to. That's how I came into ecology.”

Although he didn’t initially have a specific major in mind, Manning was eager for a college education that would nurture this life-long love of environmentalism and give him access to unique hands-on opportunities. After winning the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for his county and exploring multiple Indiana institutions, it was ultimately DePauw’s reputation for experiential learning that made the difference.

“DePauw is ranked near the top of the nation for study abroad opportunities,” he says. “In my negotiations with different schools after my Lilly scholarship, that was really pushed to me. It was very attractive and something I knew I wanted in my education.”

Having settled on a major in environmental biology and a minor in religious studies, Manning has enjoyed the diverse learning environments on campus, both in the classroom and at the DePauw Nature Park. But the most transformative experience he’s had was during the fall semester of his junior year, when he traveled to Kenya and Rwanda to work on the front lines of endangered species conservation. While there, he was able to immerse himself in indigenous cultures while getting up close and personal with lions, gorillas and other types of native wildlife.

Manning doesn’t shy away from describing the impact of this trip upon his life and his professional trajectory. “The most important thing I've done – for my career, for my future – was to get that hands-on experience. Now I know this is exactly what I want to do.”

Neither does he shy away from acknowledging the fortunate position he’s in to be able to participate in these experiences. “I pay nothing. My tuition, my room, my board – it’s all covered through my scholarships,” says Manning. And he knows he’s not the only one on the receiving end of significant financial aid at DePauw. As he looks around at his fellow students who are traveling the world, landing internships, and enjoying an elite liberal arts education, he sees the generosity that makes it all possible.

“One of the things I am most proud of about DePauw and the people here is the amount of aid and scholarships they give out. Yes, at face value, it can be an expensive price tag. But everyone in my closest circles is on scholarship or on financial aid of some kind. They work very hard to provide lots of avenues for people to be able to experience DePauw, no matter the position they're coming from.”

Having the ability to learn at DePauw – and to extend that learning around the world – has opened up new ways for Manning to understand the full scope of the impact his interest in conservation can have.

“A big thing that I struggled with was not having a human component to my future plans,” he explains. “Yes, I want to work with conservation and improve ecosystems, but I also think it's important to be working towards the betterment of humanity and improving the conditions of people. I didn't have a practical way to combine my love of ecology and wildlife behavior with people, and in Africa I was absolutely shown how that is possible. The biggest lesson I learned was how intimately related wildlife studies can be to people.”