December 22, 2014
Life really does begin at 40
As a child, David Olsen visited his grandfather’s Venezuelan health clinic during summer breaks. The elder doctor was a gifted internist who often volunteered his services to treat those in need. As Olsen swept the floors, he observed how one person can truly make a difference.
David Olsen in the lab where he participates in research.
“It was amazing to see people arrive in pain and then leave happy and feeling better. As a kid, watching my grandfather work was like seeing Superman,” says Olsen.
Olsen is a superhero inspiration himself. Now 40 years old, a helping hand from the Martin Family Foundation empowered him to pursue boyhood dreams of serving others and earning a college degree. He graduates from the UW in 2015 with a degree in biology and commences medical school in the fall. Olsen is a 2012 Martin Honors Scholar. The program provides tuition to exceptional Washington state community college students to complete their baccalaureate degrees at the UW.
“The scholarship is one of the greatest forms of encouragement and validation I’ve ever received,” says Olsen.
Born in Venezuela, a four-year-old Olsen moved to Michigan with his mother as she completed her Ph.D. in environmental science. He was always surrounded by learning as a child. As a teenager, he read over 50 books a summer, from Sophocles to Sigmund Freud. He attended one year of college before putting his formal education on hold to support his newborn daughter. He worked 16 years as a carpenter before injuries and the economic downturn compelled a career change.
Supporting Community College students
The Martin Family Foundation, dedicated to assisting talented Washington state community college students who wish to pursue a college degree at the University of Washington, exists through the generosity and vision of Benn and Claribel Martin.
The Martin Achievement Scholarship helps fund students early in their community college career with demonstrated signs of exceptional ability in art, humanities, and/or leadership, supporting their study and eventual transfer to the UW Seattle campus.
Awarded to community college students of exceptional ability and outstanding achievement, the Martin Honors Scholarship helps students complete their baccalaureate degrees at the UW Seattle campus, often within the Honors program.
“At first, I thought I was way too old to go back to school but I’ve discovered a newfound purpose. I love caring for people and want to be in a field where I can make a significant difference in people’s lives,” says Olsen.
His grandfathers’ legacies — both were physicians — partially inspired his decision to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. At 35 years old, he enrolled at North Seattle Community College and took to it like “a duck to water.” Teachers encouraged him to apply for the Martin Honors Scholarship and he transferred to the UW after completing a two-year associate degree.
The UW has expanded his horizons both in and outside the classroom. He’s participated in numerous undergraduate research opportunities and classmates mentor Olsen in the general art of being a college student — popular new bands and how to use social media. In return, his presence also broadens their worldview.
“Many young people make assumptions about people — community college students, the working class, those of color, older people,” says Olsen. “It’s important that students are exposed to a diversity of personalities and life experiences. Otherwise, you’re learning on a scholastic level, but not growing culturally or in maturity.”
He hopes to eventually work with Doctors Without Borders and return to Venezuela to volunteer as his grandfather did.
“Above all, I want to represent community college students in a positive light,” says Olsen. “I want to show people that students don’t go to community college simply because they couldn’t get in anywhere else. There are different paths to take.”