Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, January 2, 2021.

In Week 1 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for Zwan Landfair. Zwan is a Starkville native and graduate of Mississippi State who has gone on to have a successful career at Zimmer Biomet, a multi-billion dollar medical device company. Not satisfied with achieving mere individual success, Zwan used his influence and resources to bring opportunities back to his home town.

He along with Cheri Spigner and others belonging to a "tiny but mighty" team of minority professionals at Zimmer created a program to provide underserved youth exposure to careers in STEM. The program was extended to 6 locations throughout the United States and Zwan used his influence to make the J.L. King Center in Starkville, MS one of those sites.

During the program Starkville youth were introduced to engineers, doctors and information scientists that looked like them, opening whole new worlds of possibility.

We don't hear a lot of stories like this, but Zwan is a welcome reminder that there are people who love their neighbors, are remembering the forgotten and quietly doing the work of uplifting our communities. And, I am thankful. #52WoG