Wayne State College hosted a banquet for 11 seniors and their families April 21 to recognize the achievement.
Wayne State College celebrated the first class of graduating seniors from its Grand Island cohort in the Career Scholars Program on April 21 at the Double V Restaurant in Grand Island. The event marked the culmination of a four-year journey through Wayne State’s unique cooperative education program.
The evening’s festivities included 11 seniors and their families along with remarks from Dr. Marysz Rames, president of Wayne State; Dr. Paul Turman, chancellor of the Nebraska State College System; Dr. Katie Machovsky, executive director of cooperative education and industry liaison at Wayne State; and a keynote address from Roger Steele, mayor of Grand Island and an alumnus of Wayne State.
“We’re extremely proud of our first group of graduates from our Grand Island cohort,” said Machovsky. “The Career Scholars senior graduation dinner highlights the workforce partnerships between employers, students, community, and Wayne State College. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the Grand Island co-op employers for their commitment and dedication in providing meaningful learning experiences for our Career Scholars.”
The Career Scholars Program was created in 2020 to address workforce needs. The scholarship program offers an accelerated, hands-on learning experience for students in business, education, computer science, computer information systems, criminal justice, electronic media, journalism, or industrial technology. Students in the program spend their first three years at Wayne State, then complete their senior year living and working full time with a partner employer in Norfolk or Grand Island.
Seniors graduating from the Career Scholars Program’s Grand Island cohort are listed below with their hometown, major, and the employer that provided their internship:
Griffin Anderson
Milford, Neb.
Business Administration (Marketing)
Mead Lumber
Gracie Benz
Adel, Iowa
Family and Consumer Science Education
Northwest High School
Jamie Dozler
Elgin, Neb.
Criminal Justice
Nebraska State Probation and Grand Island Police Department
Macie Ebmeier
North Platte, Neb.
Computer Information Systems (Programmer/Analyst)
Grand Island Public Schools
Logan Foster
Central City, Neb.
Computer Science
Five Nines
Nathaniel Fuchs
Fremont, Neb.
Business Administration (Professional Accountancy)
Lutz
Gracie Miller
Deshler, Neb.
Criminal Justice
Grand Island Police Department
Maddy Price
Rockville, Neb.
Business Administration (Management)
Chief Buildings
Brody Sliva
Grand Island, Neb.
Engineering Technology
Chief Fabrication
Malori Swenson
Indianola, Iowa
Special Education
Grand Island Public Schools
Dayle Wettlaufer
Central City, Neb.
Social Studies Education
Grand Island Public Schools
Brody Sliva of Grand Island, Neb., was awarded the Career Scholars John Dewey Award, which is awarded to a student who embodies the philosophy of John Dewey’s principle of learning by doing and displaying a passion for education, academics, learning, and employer engagement. Recipients also demonstrate a strong work ethic, innovative thinking, grit, tenacity, and dedication to the real-world application of their academic pursuits.
Graduating seniors were also presented with the President’s Challenge Coin, which marks the completion of four years in the program and recognizes the graduates’ individual tenacity and achievements.
For more information, contact Dr. Katie Machovsky, Wayne State’s executive director of cooperative education and industry liaison, at [email protected] or 402-375-7101.