College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

For Luke Wininger, a Mahurin Honors College student from Bowling Green who graduates in May, coming to WKU was an easy decision.

“I chose to attend WKU because of the merit scholarship opportunities, study abroad programs through the Mahurin Honors College and to stay closer to my brothers for a little longer as they positively influence and motivate me,” Wininger said.

Following his innate curiosity, Wininger explored different course offerings at WKU, a strategy he said served him well.

“Starting college, I took classes on topics that I was genuinely curious about. Once it was time to declare a major, I decided on psychology because it was the major in which I had the most credits in. Taking this approach allowed me to explore subjects I may have never been exposed to rather than going in with a set path. I learned the importance of following my intuition in the process,” Wininger said.

Wininger did not waste time getting involved in a wide range of campus activities. 

He served Sigma Phi Epsilon as its Vice President of Recruitment, the Interfraternity Council as Academic Director and the Business Association for Development as Vice President. He was also involved in the Student Government Association and enjoyed getting involved in Preston Health and Activities Center by taking classes in yoga and cycling and participating in intramural sports. To top it all off, he was awarded a Gilman Scholarship and used it to study abroad in Costa Rica during his senior year.

Studying abroad was important to Wininger and a highlight of his time as a student.

The Office of Scholar Development Assistant Director Lindsey Houchin assisted Wininger in applying for a Gilman Scholarship twice. Both times, he was named a Gilman Scholar. Using funds from the scholarship, he was first slotted to travel to Iceland, but his plans were disrupted due to COVID-19. On his second try, he was able to study abroad in Costa Rica.

“I lived with a local family five minutes from the campus and took four courses: cultural psychology; agroecology and sustainable food systems; sustainability and systems thinking; and globalization, migration and social change.  This was an important semester for me because my professors and classmates were from all around the world. Small class sizes and traveling together created a strong bond that helped us understand each other’s world perspectives,” Wininger said.

Even though he was in Costa Rica at the time, Wininger said his work was not finished back in the States. 

“During that time, I zoomed and wrote articles for a third-grade classroom in Kentucky through a non-profit organization called Reach the World. This was fulfilling because I got to motivate a younger generation to study abroad, and I had the opportunity to tell students what my third-grade self would have needed to hear,” Wininger said.

Wininger even made time for two internships as an undergraduate student. During his junior year he interned with Action Shots Photography.

“I applied my consumer behavior project for Honors Psychology 490 with my professor, Dr. Duffin. During the internship, I traveled the country with a sports media startup out of Louisville. This entrepreneur experience allowed me to utilize my psychology and marketing skills as well as gain influential mentors outside of academia,” Wininger said.

He interned for Houchens Insurance Group his senior year.

“Houchens Insurance Group has a great internship program for WKU students that develops you personally while simultaneously exposing you to the professional world,” Wininger said.

As he finishes his last semester, Wininger is working on two initiatives that involve WKU and the local community. One is the WKU Unplugged Scholarship Initiative, which he is working on through a collaboration with SGA. He hopes it will bring awareness to the addictive nature of smartphones both inside and outside the classroom. 

“The main objective is to encourage students to become mindful of their social media and technology use and how it might be impacting their relationships, attention and overall well-being. This scholarship would supply flip phones and a monetary scholarship to students who use a flip phone for one month,” Wininger said. 

The second endeavor is connecting his fraternity to a local elementary school through a mentorship program called Boys To Men. 

“Some of the fraternities and other groups of men on WKU’s campus are already active participants in this program. Considering the alarming statistics on boys falling behind in school, every local elementary school should be connected to a group of men on WKU’s campus to help close this growing disparity,” Wininger said.

Wininger is excited about his future. After graduation, he will pursue a career in public service. 

For more information about earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology, visit www.wku.edu/psychology.  

#WKUGrad series: As part of our #WKUGrad series, articles on graduating students are shared in the weeks leading up to Commencement. See all of their stories at https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=default&categoryid=799&multinewsid=187