Through being a player, referee and fan, Nash Williams earned the High School Hockey Scholarship from the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation for his exemplary actions both on and off the ice.
A three-time varsity letter winner on the ice and a team leader, Williams is also an Eagle Scout who has dedicated hundreds of hours to meaningful community service. Although he was not able to play for Dublin Jerome High School for much of his senior year because of a fractured clavicle that sidelined him for 17 games, he still found ways to support his team.
That included making sure the younger players had a ride to practice, even though he was not required to attend himself. Selfless actions like those led him to being voted as an alternate captain for the Celtics.
“With all my other activities and leadership positions, I kind of just saw it as a natural progression and something I was used to taking a leadership and an initiative role,” Williams said. “I know I also mentioned that I’m an Eagle Scout, so I have leadership experience there as well.”
Hockey has been key for Williams in his life, as his family had season tickets to the Blue Jackets while he was growing up, and he has been around the sport for as long as he can remember. In addition to playing hockey for the Celtics, he grew up skating for the CAHA 67’s, Team Columbus and in the Columbus Chill organization.
Williams also played outfield and pitched for the Jerome baseball team and took part in travel baseball growing up.
“(Sports) have been very helpful to show that I could be disciplined and dedicated to working hard at something,” he said. “Playing at the varsity level in travel sports isn’t super easy. There’s a lot of hard work, hard practices that go into it to be successful.”
Each season, a portion of the Blue Jackets Foundation’s community investment is specifically earmarked for the purpose of providing an annual educational scholarship for a graduating high school senior who wishes to further his/her education beyond high school.
These students have excelled in their commitment to hockey, in their leadership, and in their academic and extracurricular activities at their respective schools. The $10,000 scholarship is not based on performance as a hockey player but on character and overall achievements during high school.
That’s one reason why Williams fit the bill, as he’s excelled both on and off the ice, including being named a National Merit Scholar and to National Honor Society. With his high school graduation on the horizon, he is planning on attending Purdue University in the fall to further his academic career. He plans on majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in business.
Since the closest ice rink to Purdue is an hour away, his hockey career has come to an end for the time being, but he still wants to be a referee when he comes back to Columbus during breaks.
“All the opportunities there through engineering, how well known they are, that really set it apart from the other schools,” he said. “They’re such a good school for engineering. For sure, I sacrifice being able to ref every weekend to go there.”
His advice for younger students who are looking to set themselves up for the best opportunities in the future? Get involved in your passions.
“I would say, just get involved not in everything, stuff you enjoy. You have to enjoy doing the hard things,” he said. “If you work hard, there’s a lot of opportunities that will open up for you, and you might find some passions as well.”
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