Pictured from left: Nathan Oblizajek, Zachary Beaschler and Christopher Ellington.
Three outstanding soon-to-be graduates have been selected to speak at Ohio Northern University’s 2022 commencement ceremonies: Christopher Ellington for the Pettit College of Law ceremony to be held Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m.; Nathan Oblizajek for the Raabe College of Pharmacy ceremony on Sunday, May 15 at 9 a.m.; and Zachary Beaschler for the undergraduate/MSA (Master of Science in Accounting) ceremony on Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m.
All ceremonies will be held in the ONU King Horn Sports Center Field House.
Christopher Ellington, a Lima, Ohio resident, will graduate at the top of his class. He is clerking for FGKS Law in Sidney, Ohio, where he will be working post-graduation as an associate attorney. In summer 2021 he clerked at Drake, Phillips, Kuenzli & Clark in Findlay, Ohio, where he drafted complaints, and conducted research and evaluations in practice areas such as corporate law, domestic relations and estate planning. In summer 2020 he clerked for the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. where, among other tasks, he built and maintained a database of human trafficking laws and resources across the U.S. and internationally.
Ellington was a Ohio Real Property Council student member, serves on the editorial board and as a student research editor for Ohio Northern Law Review, is a teaching assistant for Property I and Property II courses, and serves as a peer mentor for new law students. He was also accepted into the Willis Society.
Nathan Oblizajek, from Toledo, Ohio, has interned in the inpatient setting at St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, and in the community setting at Rite Aid Pharmacy in Sylvania and Ada, Ohio. His advanced pharmacy practice rotations included experiences at locations such as The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where he focused on pain management, cardiovascular critical care, ambulatory leukemia/lymphoma, and leadership; Cleveland Clinic Family Health and Surgery Center, where he worked in ambulatory care; and OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital where he honed his hospital pharmacy skills.
Oblizajek also served one term as Student Government Association president, was an ONU Board of Trustees student member, collaborated with the Office of Alumni Relations to host alumni events, and worked with the director of student involvement to maintain records and help establish many campus organizations. He was membership chair of the National Community Pharmacists Association Ohio Northern Chapter, held various offices in Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, volunteered for ONU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, and served roles on the Raabe College of Pharmacy Council.
A recipient of several awards from Kappa Psi fraternity and other student organizations, Oblizajek also received the Raabe College of Pharmacy Dean’s Endowed Scholarship Award and the Council of Ohio Colleges of Pharmacy Leadership Award.
After graduation, Oblizajek will begin a pharmacy administration and leadership residency at West Virginia University Medicine in Morgantown, West Virginia. He also plans to concurrently earn a Master of Health Administration degree from WVU.
Zachary Beaschler, an Ada, Ohio resident and fourth-generation Polar Bear, is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management. In summer 2021 he was a tournament logistics intern for the Western and Southern Open, where he prepared the logistics of all items shipped and received to the tournament site and assisted in facility preparation. In spring 2021 he worked for Uplyft Toledo as a marketing intern, where he worked on social media strategy. Since August 2019 he has been networking with donors as a Polar Bear Club intern for ONU’s Athletic Development.
As an ONU tennis player, Beaschler was 2nd All-OAC (Ohio Athletic Conference) in 2021 and HM All-OAC in 2019. He serves as Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president, American Marketing Association co-president, is a member of the ONU President’s Club and Chi Alpha Sigma student-athlete honorary fraternity, is an International Tennis Association Scholar All-American, and is a Dicke College of Business Administration mentor. For the past two years he has been a commentator at several ONU athletic events.
Beaschler received the Dicke College of Business Administration Outstanding Senior Award.
After graduation, Beaschler, will be a revenue generation and development associate for Purdue University Athletic Department.
Other commencement speakers will include:
· Sharetta Smith, JD ’10, mayor of Lima, Ohio
· Randall Myers, BSPh (Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy) ’82, a licensed Ohio pharmacist
· James Dicke III, president of Crown Equipment Corporation
More guest speaker information, along with details regarding honorary degrees to be conferred, can be found here.
Additional commencement ceremony information can be found here.