David Lindgren
Associate in Science
David Lindgren was born in Sacramento, California, but moved around often as a child. He lived in the areas of Davis, Fresno, Bakersfield, as well as the Caribbean Island of Grenada while his dad was attending medical school. When a hurricane destroyed their home, his family returned to the United States. His father settled in Florida to finish school, while he, his mother and siblings returned to California. The family later relocated to the Yakima Valley.
A talented athlete, Lindgren played basketball throughout his high school career and when he graduated, he was offered a scholarship to attend YVC. He jumped at the opportunity to continue to play a sport that he loved. “Basketball is definitely one of the main things I’m passionate about. I’ve played since I was about 7 or 8 years old and fell in love with the game,” stated Lindgren. During his athletic career at YVC, Lindgren scored over 700 points, with an average of 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during the 2018-2019 academic year and 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game during the 2017-2018 academic year. He helped lead the Yaks to the 2017-2018 NWAC Championship Tournament and played in the 2019 NWAC Sophomore All-Star Game. Recognized by his teammates, coaches and NWAC, Lindgren was selected to receive the NWAC Academic-Athlete of the Year Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship covers tuition at a four-year university. He also received the team’s Yak Altitude Award and Rock Award.
Wanting to pursue a career in medicine, Lindgren chose to pursue courses in STEM. In addition to his coursework, he has worked in YVC’s tutoring center helping fellow students succeed in their STEM courses. Lindgren has twice been selected to participate in YVC’s undergraduate research projects. These projects are made possible by a science, technology, engineering, and math grant through the US Department of Education. YVC works in partnership with Heritage University to offer this opportunity to students. Last summer he worked with YVC faculty and a group of students to study the acoustic overlap in Least Flycatchers and this spring he performed a quantitative analysis of woodpecker drumming across nesting periods. He also volunteers with Coach London Wilson to run a basketball academy and mentoring program for area youth.
“David’s on-court accomplishments were good for any two-year career, but David’s activity in the community of Yakima is what makes him stand out,” stated Head Men’s Basketball Coach London Wilson. “He has performed over 110 community service hours, eight of which were served to organize and structure a “camp of autism” which was a huge success. Mr. Lindgren has become a community superhero as he helps host and train sports camps for local middle school and elementary schools. In addition, David hosts a weekly training camp on the Yakama Reservation with severely at-risk youth while maintaining such academic excellence,” he continued.
Reflecting on his time at YVC, Lindgren says, “I think the relationships I’ve built with my teammates, classmates, professors, coaches, tutees, and research partners will be what I remember most. It has been a blessing being able to meet so many amazing people throughout my time here at YVC, and I’ll treasure the relationships I’ve made here throughout my life,” he concluded.
David graduated this June with an associate in science degree. He is currently in talks with a few four-year universities to continue his basketball career, but hasn’t made a final decision.
