Disciplined and determined: there are many markers of an athlete, but these are the ones that have driven Seattle Pacific University cross country and track and field runner Silas Demmert ’27 to success throughout his athletic and academic journey.
Born and raised in Sitka, Alaska, his mom and dad are both educators and always encouraged Demmert and his brothers to pursue higher education. Demmert’s love for running began when he joined cross country and later track and field during his sophomore year of high school. He enjoyed the community aspect of the teams and thrived as he challenged himself, which then strengthened his work ethic. His senior year of high school, SPU coaches recruited him for a visit, which put the University on his radar.
Demmert was initially offered an SPU scholarship that would reduce his tuition costs significantly. He then received a letter in the mail inviting him to apply for Seattle Pacific’s Distinguished Scholar Award — an invitation-only scholarship competition. His parents encouraged him to apply and put himself out there to see what would happen. To Demmert’s surprise, he was one of five students awarded a full-tuition scholarship.
As a freshman at SPU, Demmert ran with flying colors, scoring in cross country and achieving personal bests in both indoor and outdoor track races.
Demmert is now in his second year studying ecology, which was inspired by his love for hunting and fishing with his father. “[The decision to study ecology] came from my dad. I feel like he really made a point to us to get outside and have respect for our environment and the land we live on, which is a part of our culture on my dad’s side,” he explained.
Demmert also enjoys challenging himself in academics and has forged meaningful relationships with several professors. “It feels like you get a lot of attention here that you’re not even expecting. And then if you seek that attention out even more, you’re going to get more help and care from your academic advisors and professors,” Demmert said.
After graduating from SPU, Demmert hopes that his work in ecology and passion for sustainability and climate action will serve the world around him, making an impact that benefits generations beyond his own.
He said, “I want to be able to say that I had enough respect to work hard and do my best to give back so that maybe my kids can have the same things I got, if not more. And hopefully generations before me can see that my generation really cares about this too.”
(A similar version of this story was originally published in the Winter 2025 issue of Significance, the newsletter of the Office Endowments and Gift Planning.)
