Senior plans out future of service that includes stint as leader of the Free World

When he was 6 or 7 years old, current Purdue University Fort Wayne senior Evan Gregory promised his grandfather he would make a difference someday. A Vietnam War veteran, the grandfather was and is Gregory’s hero, and the boy decided he could best fulfill his goal by becoming president.

And that is still Gregory’s goal. He’s taking steps to learn as much as he can now to become a better elected representative in the future. Already majoring in criminal justice and sociology, he recently added another in history, which will push his graduation back a semester.

“I have to know everything, plain and simple,” Gregory said. “If I don’t know everything, I will not be making the best decisions, I will not be fair to myself or other people.”

That’s why he’s always asking questions of mentors like Mike Wolf, chair of the Department of Political Science; Mieko Yamada, professor of sociology; Ann Livschiz, associate chair and associate professor of history; Lee Roberts, a German professor; and Daniel Patten, B.A. Psychology ‘09, B.A. Sociology ‘10, assistant professor of criminal justice and public administration. Gregory isn’t asking to gauge their reactions, but to learn and build his own beliefs.

“My first thought is, `I would vote for him,’” Patten said. “He takes learning more seriously than any person—not just a student—I know. He is the type of person who knows what he doesn’t know and actively tries to fill that gap.”

It’s interesting how Gregory often admits he doesn’t have all the answers and then says he’s actively studying to find them. Unlike many politicians, he doesn’t try to make the situation fit his preconceived beliefs.

“The biggest thing for me is to meet people, talk to people, and learn everything I can to be the most informed and best person I can be. And then just serve, serve, serve. My entire life is about getting into service.”

Some of that he learned from his grandfather’s example, but also from his parents while growing up in the Lake Wawasee area. Besides serving in the Army National Guard, Gregory also helps neighbors on projects around the lake area, mowing, putting in piers, fixing fences, and painting. What he gets out of it are conversations and more opportunities to learn. He’s also a youth pastor at North Webster United Methodist Church and coaches youth sports like football and basketball.

Gregory doesn’t assume political talking points are always accurate from either side and, though leaning conservative, said he’d rather be identified as an independent. He also understands that knowing what to do in political service can be different than knowing how to do it.

Instead of jumping directly into politics after graduation, Gregory said he plans to volunteer for at least one military deployment overseas. Then he’s considering joining a police department. What better way to learn the real-world criminal justice system up close, he said, instead of only reading about it from a textbook.

“In my opinion, I need to have that experience before moving forward,” he said. “My passion is just for helping people. What I want to do is preferably help youth who are initially getting involved in the criminal justice system.”

He’s talked to professionals who told him the job he wants doesn’t exist yet. That’s OK, he said, maybe that’s what I'm supposed to create.

Before then, he’s concentrating on research projects in his three majors. He wants to study the wars in the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001, interviewing some Fort Wayne citizens from Bosnia to understand why the conflicts happened and compare the lasting outcome to other war-torn regions.

There are so many things to explore, but in his own way, looking behind the obvious. Gregory recently took a trip to Japan and decided to stay away from the regular tourist spots, making his own path to learn from behind the scenes.

Sometimes family members encourage Gregory to slow down and enjoy life a little more, but he is enjoying it. He loves Purdue Fort Wayne because he wants to experience and learn about much more of it.

“The way I look at it, we have to keep going, keep pushing to do what you can,” he said. “If you don’t, you are going to fall into complacency and miss out on your chance.”