Scholarships provide Lindner student tools to make impact

Can a donor’s dollar help change the world? University of Cincinnati student Austin Castle is well on his way to proving that it can.

Castle, a scholarship recipient in UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business, came from Chicago with a sense of purpose, and he feels his scholarships have given him the tools he needs to make a real impact by blending a corporate career with his reverence for the natural world.

“My passions are around sustainability,” Castle says. “So whether it’s working on a sustainable brand or doing a consulting project in the space, I want to link the work I do with the passions I have.”

Castle’s interests were spawned by his older sister, who studied environmental science as an undergraduate and environmental law in law school.

“Little did she know this would become my life’s passion and the driver behind everything I do,” Castle says. “I intentionally seek out clubs, opportunities and jobs that put me in a position to make a change because, in my eyes, if you aren't working for something bigger than yourself, why work for something at all?”

While majoring in finance and marketing at Lindner, and achieving a certificate in business analytics, Castle has developed his business acumen in class, in the corporate world, and through campus leadership positions. His five co-ops include stints in the restaurant industry, market research, wealth management, and most recently P&G and Kroger.

At UC he serves as president of Queen City Consulting and as a member of the Student Alumni Council. He recently co-founded Bearcat Brand Builders, a club that focuses on name, image and likeness for student athletes. 

Castle praises UC’s collaborative culture, which values mentoring as well as hard work and the need “to go after things” that might appear to be beyond one’s reach.

“People care about you here,” he says. “I’ve had so many mentors who took the time to get to know me, know what I wanted to accomplish in my career, and ultimately help me get there. I view mentorship as a cyclical process at UC: You start as a mentee and transition to a mentor helping others accomplish their goals — an extremely rewarding process.”

In his free time Castle lives his values. He created the first recycling program in a UC fraternity house and participates in Clean Up Cincy, Cincinnati's largest student-led beautification program.

He is ever grateful to those who have supported his scholarships during his pivotal years at Lindner.

“If I were to meet one of my scholarship donors, I’d want to say thank you for allowing me to come to my dream school from out of state and achieve more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for allowing me to be surrounded by the best of the best at the university, and for allowing me to feel fully prepared to be a strong business leader of tomorrow while having the grit that a true Bearcat will always hold on to.”

Featured image at top: Austin Castle is currently a student in UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Photo/UC Alumni Association