By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
As a member of the Van Andel Institute’s Student Ambassador Program, Otsego senior Landon Eastman volunteers for events that raise money for Parkinson’s research.
It’s a cause that hits close to home for Eastman, whose father is battling the disease.
Eastman recently had the opportunity to share his father’s story at the 20th Annual Winterfest Celebration, the Institute’s largest donor event of the year.
“To be part of this event was special feeling because it’s the first reward for my hard work in trying to make a difference in the world,” Eastman said. “I joined the program for personal reasons and wanting to make a difference and being invited to speak is a reflection of the hard work I’ve been putting in.
“Having this opportunity as a high schooler is amazing. I was blessed to be given this platform to speak and it’s just the start of the difference I can make in the world.”
Eastman was asked to speak by none other than VAI chairman and CEO David Van Andel and his wife Carol.
The Van Andels met Eastman last March at Art for a Cure, an event hosted by members of the Student Ambassador Program. They wanted to learn more about the ambassador program and asked Eastman for his perspective.
“I had no idea at the time, but I guess I made a great impression, and they wanted me to share my story at their biggest donor event, Winterfest,” Eastman said.
Eastman’s primary message was one of perseverance and never giving up, even in the face of huge obstacles.
“I try to embody (that mentality) daily,” Eastman said. “It’s been cultivated by my father’s fight and what he has taught me in my life. He is one of my biggest inspirations and seeing his battle with a disease with no cure is not easy.
“Never giving up is what Van Andel Institute is built on, as they seek to cure the incurable. We all face our own battles, and it’s important to approach them face on. I hope I conveyed that to the audience as well as convey how important the work at the Institute is because it is so near and dear to my heart.”
As part of the Student Ambassador Program, Eastman has been part of the Purple Committee at Otsego High School.
The Purple Committee is a group of students who organize events at OHS every two years to raise money for Parkinson’s and cancer research.
As he prepares to embark on a new chapter of his life following graduation in May, Eastman has his sights set on studying biomedical engineering on a pre-medical route. He plans to be an anesthesiologist one day.
“My interest in biomedical engineering was sparked at Van Andel Institute seeing the capabilities of what can be done,” he said. “I plan to do research throughout my undergraduate career to seek answers to the unanswerable.
“I would love to keep working with the institute and see where it can take me.”
