Featuring Shawn Zellmer of Pierce, Neb., who is majoring in Computer Information Systems.
Working at a telecommunications company in his hometown has helped propel Shawn Zellmer toward a career in computer technology. The senior from Pierce, Neb., who is majoring in Computer Information Systems (Integrated Tech Support) at Wayne State, is this week’s subject of the Student Spotlight Series.
“That job taught me a lot about different technology, but one of the most fascinating things I learned was the difference in different computer components, and how the Internet really works,” said Zellmer. “All of this really made me want to learn more about technology in general.”
Unfortunately for Zellmer, the only computer activity at Pierce High School was robotics, which he didn’t participate in since it conflicted with some of his other activities. However, in eighth grade, Zellmer had a class about Excel and PowerPoint, which sparked his interest in computer technology as well.
Luckily for Wayne State, Zellmer stayed with it. In addition to his classes, Zellmer also works as a computer ninja at the WSC Service Center.
“I chose to attend Wayne State because of the wide variety of facilities that are available in my program, including the networking, hardware, and coding labs,” said Zellmer. “Out of all the facilities that I viewed at different colleges, Wayne State’s were easily my favorite, especially for my major. And honestly, it was also closer to home and much more affordable. So, for me, it was the easiest choice.”
Another thing that impressed Zellmer was his instructors.
“All of the faculty in the Department of Computer Technology and Information Systems have been terrific,” said Zellmer. “They’ve always been helpful, kind, considerate, and had an open door whenever I had questions or just needed to talk.”
At Wayne State, Zellmer has been active in the Student Judicial Board (two years), the Honors Program (three years), the Wildcat Marching Band and Wayne State Concert Band (two years), and intramurals (three years).
Zellmer will graduate in May, and he intends to pursue a job in Northeast Nebraska in computer technology. He’s also looking at telecommunications, cybersecurity, and data analytics.