Program Feature: Family and Consumer Sciences Degree Program

By Brooklynn Grixby, College Relations intern

Wayne State College offers two popular concentrations in the family and consumer sciences degree: foods and nutrition, and interior design. These programs hold a strong attraction for students who have an interest in healthy eating and public wellness or developing their artistic, interpersonal, and management skills.

“I chose the foods and nutrition route in the family and consumer sciences degree because I enjoy helping others and also I enjoy working with food,” Elisa Araujo, a senior from Norfolk, Neb., explained.

Araujo said she wants to move back to Norfolk or Omaha to look for a full time job using her family and consumer sciences degree to help people. She wants to be a nutritionist at a hospital after graduation.

“I have learned leadership and professional skills, also how to problem solve and use critical thinking,” Araujo said. Students in the family and consumer sciences degree also gain the skills of food preparation, meal management, and nutritional counseling. With these strengths, a Wayne State graduate has many different possible career jobs. From public health educator to weight management professional, students become well-rounded nutrition experts during the course of the family and consumer sciences degree at the college.

Wayne State’s interior design concentration within the family and consumer sciences degree is one of the few like it in the state.

“Wayne was one of the institutions that has interior design as a program,” said Brooklyn Stack, a sophomore from Chadron, Neb. “I also had really good scholarship opportunities offered by WSC.” Stack said she plans to move to an urban area and work for an interior design firm, primarily residential.

“I chose this major here at WSC because I have four generations of family members that have attended college here,” Kyra Wischmann, a senior from Ashland, Neb., explained. After graduating with a family and consumer sciences degree, she said she plans to move to Omaha or Lincoln and work at an interior design company where she can showcase the knowledge that she has gained from WSC. With an education in interior design from Wayne State, graduates can choose from being a decorator, designer, or planner with a background that includes knowledge of furnishings, lighting, space planning, and color analysis.

Clubs, internships, and classes related to the family and consumer sciences degree help Wayne State students acquire the skills they need for the future. The college pushes students to get involved outside of the classroom through other opportunities such as Service-Learning, which plays a major role in many students’ career pathways.

“I have learned literally everything from my program,” Stack said. “I will remember how amazing the campus community has been. The professors and staff eventually become like a second family and you are able to trust them with anything whether it is school-related or personal stuff.”