Matt Lepper ’25, from Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has had quite the journey at Wabash. Recruited initially as a wrestler, Lepper, majoring in biology and minoring in environmental studies, has found ways to impact Wabash College on and off campus through his intense work in ecological studies.
Lepper would end up stepping away from wrestling in late November 2022 and soon find the love and joy of spreading environmental awareness across the Wabash campus. One of his major roles was serving on the Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC). Even before stepping into the role, Lepper saw the lack of student involvement and community engagement prevented the ECC from reaching its full potential, which ate away at Lepper. He knew immediately that he wanted to change how the ECC was run.
“My freshman year, I was stoked to be on the committee, but the whole time, I was just sitting there, sitting back, taking notes thinking ‘Yeah, if I’m ever in the position to run this, this is not how I want to do it,’” said Lepper.
Lepper strived for campus and student involvement and wanted more engagement from the committee in the community. When Lepper took the reins, he made rapid progress by creating campus-wide cleanup efforts and tasking the committee with helping clean up the downtown area of Crawfordsville. The intense cleanup of the campus protected not only its pristine image but also the local wildlife on campus. Lepper’s impact has come a long way, and to this day, the precedent he set is still followed.
“Matt is our leader,” said ECC Vice Chairman Ethan Gonzalez ’26. “He has brought together a group of people who he felt could understand the importance of our campus’s environmental impact. He works with the faculty ECC to coordinate events that the students are able to take on.”
Lepper’s charisma and care for other people is what makes him stand out as a Little Giant. Throughout the entirety of getting the ECC active and back up and running, it has been all about getting others involved to help the community. Lepper does not think of himself, but instead thinks about the whole general body of students.
“What makes Matt special is the fact that he can make everyone else feel special. He ignites a sense of fulfillment in students across campus when they interact with the events he plans,” said Gonzalez. “Matt’s work is definitely paving the way for the next generation of student ECC members. He set one heck of an example for the committee to follow moving forward.”
Lepper’s impact extends beyond the Wabash campus with his work in environmental sciences. He studied in Peru for the Global Health Initiative and was one of the Wabash men chosen in 2023 and 2024 to study for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Lepper researched a tree biodiversity project and a bacterial study with soybeans here.
“I’m absolutely in love with environmental research like this. I can see myself doing this every day in my life,” said Lepper. “I knew as soon as I got on that campus, and I did research everyday, I thought, ‘This is it,’ and I have not looked back since.”
Lepper’s trajectory after Wabash shows just how vital environmental science was in his everyday life. After Wabash, Lepper plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental studies and policy at the University of Wisconsin-Greenbay’s Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Laboratory. He will continue to do the work he loves and impact his community on a much broader, global scale.
Looking back on his Wabash journey, Lepper emphasized the importance of embracing failure and stepping outside one’s comfort zone. Recalling a critical moment, he shared a memorable anecdote about immersing himself in a new environment, one that would advise those trying to find their home in Wabash to be unafraid to leave their past self behind. Through this advice, Lepper could find his true love not for his sport but for environmental policies.
“You need to just get out there, and let Wabash work its magic on you, I guarantee there will be something for everyone out there.” said Lepper. “Like me — I came for the wrestling and stayed for the school.”