{"id":70723,"date":"2021-12-17T03:40:59","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T07:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=70723"},"modified":"2021-12-17T11:39:17","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T15:39:17","slug":"utoledo-student-gains-new-perspective-finishes-degree-decades-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/12_17_2021\/utoledo-student-gains-new-perspective-finishes-degree-decades-in-the-making","title":{"rendered":"UToledo Student Gains New Perspective, Finishes Degree Decades in the Making"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daniel Fant has gained something important since the 1980s: perspective.<\/p>\n

First arriving at The University of Toledo in 1983, Fant wasn\u2019t equipped with the right perspective to make the most of his college experience.<\/p>\n

\"Graduation<\/a>

CELEBRATING SUCCESS:<\/strong> UToledo recognizes the Class of 2021 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at\u00a0fall commencement<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t mature enough to value the advanced education. Like a lot of kids, I went to school because I was told that was the thing to do, but I wasn\u2019t ready,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I didn\u2019t take it seriously and left.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the intervening years, Fant gained the skills he\u2019d need to succeed in academia. He launched two successful careers \u2014 one as a law enforcement officer, the other running his family business in geothermal energy \u2014 while developing the life experience to thrive in a college classroom. Now 56, Fant will finally complete his degree in liberal arts with a concentration in conservation ecology.<\/p>\n

His degree will complement his work, but that wasn\u2019t the goal in his return to UToledo. Rather, he wanted to learn about humanity\u2019s ongoing effect on the global climate and, more importantly, what can be done about it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Daniel Fant and his daughter, Bianca Fant. Fant, who is a law enforcement officer and runs his family business in geothermal energy, first joined UToledo in 1983. And on Saturday, at 56, he will graduate.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI believe that what we do now affects us today and future generations,\u201d Fant said. \u201cSo getting a clear understanding of where we fit in and what\u2019s happening with global warming, climate change, how human occupation affects our existence on earth and what we can do to make it better for the next generation \u2014 those are the kinds of classes I wanted to take.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he\u2019s finishing his degree with classes relevant to his interests, there have been challenges. Having a career and a family has sharpened Fant\u2019s focus, but the classroom environment is still significantly different in 2021 than it was when he left UToledo in 1986. Then, the only computer he interacted with was a DOS machine \u2014 and that was only in one class. Adjusting to taking every class via a computer has been a change, and even if it\u2019s not his preferred learning method, Fant appreciates the chance to finish his degree nonetheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss the traditional environment of lectures and classroom, but if I didn\u2019t have the opportunity to take a distance learning class, I would not have been a student.\u201d<\/p>\n

His diligence in his studies \u2014 traditional or otherwise \u2014 didn\u2019t go unnoticed. Professor Michael Weintraub took note of Fant\u2019s approach to bettering both himself and the world around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDan\u2019s genuine enthusiasm in learning more about how the natural environment works and what we can do to solve environmental problems like climate change stood out to me,\u201d Weintraub said. \u201cFuture Rockets should learn from his example that by taking an interest in how the world works and combining what you learn with your passion to improve your community you can make a real difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now ready to finish a degree decades in the making, Fant plans to put his interests into practice. With a renewed focus on renewable energy, he has already added a new product line to his geothermal energy business and plans to continue to advocate for green energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to perpetuate the movement of renewable energy and net-zero existence, which includes minimal reliance on fossil fuels, integration of passive renewable energy in terms of power production and heating and transportation eventually,\u201d Fant said. \u201cI\u2019d like to see the proliferation of renewable energy on all fronts moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Daniel Fant is a law enforcement officer and runs his family business in geothermal energy. At 56, he will finally complete his degree in liberal arts with a concentration in conservation ecology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":70729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,69,1,71,62,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70723"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70723"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70763,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70723\/revisions\/70763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}