Small towns like Athens, Ohio: America’s ambassadors to the world

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, small towns like Athens, Ohio, are global leaders and ambassadors.

In the Appalachian foothills, Athens was named a top-10 college town in the nation and the best college town in the Midwest in recent rankings. Athens, home of Ohio University, thrives on the global stage.

America at 250

Students at Ohio University here run an advertising agency called NEXT. Siemens, the multinational tech conglomerate, used the NEXT student ad agency to create video content highlighting the company’s long connection to America for the sesquicentennial. 

Company reps traveled to Athens from Atlanta, working with students and Ohio University’s new 21-by-12 foot LED video wall on campus.

This wall, a high-tech screen, was made by Nvidia, an American technology company specializing in microchips and GPUs (graphics processing units).

Nvidia, created in 1993, is America’s most valuable company.

Global footprint

At graduate commencement on May 1, Ohio University bestowed a master’s degree on a Fulbright Scholar from Vietnam.

After graduation from the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies (MDIA), he returned to Vietnam to teach university students about emerging technologies in communication and run a start-up company he co-founded.

Meanwhile, Ohio University graduate Maxwell Burton (Class of 2025 Journalism/Strategic Communication) received a Fulbright grant to teach English and U.S. culture in Taiwan.

World Cup soccer

The connections between small towns and the World Cup are virtually limitless. 

Jon Greenberg, who graduated from Ohio University a quarter-century ago, is founding editor and columnist at The Athletic. He covered the World Cup from Hershey, Pennsylvania (population approximately 14,000), birthplace of Team USA star Christian Pulisic, “Captain America.”

Getty Images’ photographers assigned to cover the World Cup included Sarah Stier and Emilee Chinn:

•  Stier graduated from Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering in 2014 and Ohio University in 2018
• Chinn graduated from Zane Trace High School in Chillicothe in 2016 and Ohio University in 2020

Pulitzer Prize winner from Malaysia

Born in Malaysia in 1984, Marcus Yam ventured to Ohio University to sharpen his photography skills. He won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking New Photography for coverage of the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan.

After winning the Pulitzer, Yam recalled his boot-camp-like training in Athens and the nearby hamlet of Shade. As a student at the School of Visual Communication, he drove to the unincorporated community south of Athens to compile his photo essay.

“That experience in Shade set the foundation for my career,” Yam said. “I had a sense of being unleashed. It gave me the confidence to go anywhere.”

Conclusion

Yes, the world can be dangerous and, yes, we continue to face herculean challenges of climate change, conflict, and more. 

But as America turns 250, let us remember and celebrate small towns like Athens that launch leaders into the world and welcome scholars from around the world.

Ken Klein is an Ohio University alumnus who worked for The Associated Press, Gannett, congressional staff, and a national trade association. Now retired, he volunteers as a research assistant for Ohio University.