Stories from Leon Hostetler and Derek Miller

Today we bring you another video from our Plain Roots: Community, Story, and Support for Higher Education conference held in June.

The first one is from Leon Hostetler. We have written his story on three of our earlier blog posts, starting here.

Both Leon and Derek were recipients of ADSF scholarships during their college years. They are shining examples of what can happen when they have support along the way. Leon closed his talk with this:

I will end with two thoughts. One is for students and future students.[…] You do not need to have the entire path figured out before you take the first step. Sometimes taking the first step makes the next one visible. The second thought is for anyone who supports organizations like the ADSF. A scholarship is not just money — it is permission, encouragement, and evidence that your future can be larger than your past. For me, it helped move college from impossible to risky — and risky was enough. That step changed my life. My story is not simply that an Amish kid became a physicist. My story is that curiosity survived, that help arrived at the right moment, and that one step led to another. I am deeply grateful for that, and I hope my story encourages someone else to take the step they had been afraid to take.

I found Leon’s message moving, and I hope you to too. And now to introduce him Leon and Derek.

Leon Hostetler grew up Old Order Amish in rural northwestern Montana and began college at age twenty-six, first earning an A. A. from State College of Florida. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree with a double major in physics and applied math from Florida State University followed by a dual Ph.D. in physics and computational mathematics from Michigan State University. He is now a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Physics at Indiana University, where his research uses some of the world’s largest supercomputers to study fundamental particles and forces through lattice field theory. Leon lives in Bloomington, Indiana, with his wife Esther and their miniature Aussie, Milo.

How an Amish Boy Became a Physicist

Leon Hostetler shares his personal journey from growing up Old Order Amish in rural Montana to becoming a physicist at Indiana University. Framed around a lifelong question (“How does it all work?”), his story traces a childhood of curiosity, books, notebooks, and forbidden technology; the difficult decision to leave the Amish community; and the long, uncertain path toward higher education. With the help of the Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund, Leon began college at age twenty-six, eventually earning a physics degree, pursuing graduate study, and entering the world of theoretical physics, where he now uses some of the world’s largest supercomputers to study fundamental particles and forces.

Derek is  a licensed civil engineer, husband, father, and lifelong runner from northern Indiana. He grew up in Shipshewana and was Amish until rumspringa at age 16. He attended a public school and then continued on to high school and college to pursue running and an education. After college he got a job in Fort Wayne where he now lives with his wife Evie, their six-month-old daughter Lillian, and their two dogs, Lucy and Sadie.

One More Lap: How Running Changed My Life

“There I was, a little Amish boy, running a mile on the track in my button up shirt and pants…” What starts as a story about a race becomes a story about perseverance, setbacks, and the unexpected opportunities that can come from chasing a goal. In this presentation, I share how competitive running taught me lessons about discipline, resilience, and embracing discomfort and led me to where I am today. Along the way, I’ll tell stories of challenges, disappointments, and victories that shaped who I am. My hope is that attendees leave encouraged to pursue their own goals with determination, knowing that persistence through setbacks can lead to opportunities and a life they never imagined.

Both Leon’s and Derek’s stories are remarkable, given their humble backgrounds. They both come from that strain of genius that runs through some Amish families. It is wonderful to hear how they are using their sharp minds to do great work.

Here is the video of their talks.

As always, we are grateful for any gifts to help us support more students like Leon and Derek along their college journey. If you want to give to ADSF, please visit our Donate page. Thank you for your support and generosity!