Nadia Zarbaugh

YOUNGSTOWN — Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed Nadia C. Zarbaugh to serve as the latest student member of Youngstown State University’s Board of Trustees.

Zarbaugh is a 2024 Poland Seminary High School graduate who lives in Poland and is majoring in biological sciences. She will begin her two-year term this fall and serve through May 2027.

“My primary goal as a student trustee is to make sure that all opinions of the students are being relayed to the board,” she said in an email. “I think it’s important to always take consideration for improvements. I also hope to improve the campus and contribute positively to our community, as I hold it very dear to my heart.”

Zarbaugh is in YSU’s Sokolov Honors College and the university’s BaccMed program. In addition, she is part of the American Medical Women’s and American Medical Students associations, as well as Sight for All United, a 9-year-old Struthers-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people reach their vision potential while lifting barriers that can limit or block their access to needed care.

Her community volunteer efforts include donating time at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley in Boardman, United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and the local chapter of Inspiring Service, a national organization that works to transform community connectivity via volunteerism.

While at Poland Seminary High, Zarbaugh served on student council, as well as the school’s National Honor Society’s recording secretary.

“Nadia exemplifies the academic excellence, leadership and commitment to service that define Youngstown State University students. Her appointment as a student to the YSU Board of Trustees reflects her dedication to both her education and community, and we look forward to the insight and perspective she will bring in this important role,” YSU President Bill Johnson stated in a news release.

In her short time as a YSU student, Zarbaugh is perhaps most proud of having been accepted into the BaccMed program, which is a consortium that offers students an enhanced pre-medical curriculum and potential early access to Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown or Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pa. The program places a special emphasis on students who are interested in family medicine, pediatrics, general internal medicine, medically underserved communities and research related to such medical disciplines, according to YSU’s website.

For her part, Zarbaugh plans to study three years at YSU, then matriculate to NEOMED, with a career goal of being a physician in Mahoning County, she said.