Five students from Southeast Community
College were among 25 honored Tuesday as members of the 2016 Phi Theta
Kappa All-Nebraska Academic Team.
The event took place at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln.
SCC
students honored each received $1,000 scholarships from PTK, the
international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs.
Shayla
Wissler, a Pawnee City native, also was named a 2016 Coca-Cola
Community College Academic Team Silver Scholar and received an
additional scholarship in the amount of $1,250.
The
four other SCC students honored are Megan Beaner from Lincoln, Destiny
Worthey from Humboldt, Andrew Henrichs from Odell, and Monte Rice from
York.
Gov. Pete Ricketts spoke to the
All-Nebraska Academic Team and handed out their medals and certificates.
He told them to always remember their roots.
"I
want you to know that I want you back here in Nebraska," Ricketts said.
"Bright, young folks like you will help us grow this state."
Wissler
was the featured speaker for SCC. She graduated in December and is
pursuing a nursing career. She was inspired to go into the health field
when her father was sick.
"He told me I
would be one of the best nurses someday, and SCC was the perfect place
for me to start my career," Wissler said. "SCC was my home, creating
friendships to last a lifetime."
She is taking pre-health classes at SCC and will transfer to University of Nebraska at Kearney to continue her education.
Beaner
is in the Radiologic Technology program and will transfer to the
University of Nebraska Medical Center to obtain a bachelor's degree in
radiation therapy.
Henrichs is in the
Building Construction Technology program with a certificate in Business
Administration. He plans to start his own construction business.
Rice is in the Architectural-Engineering Technology program who plans to transfer to the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Worthey
is in the Academic Transfer program and also plays on the softball team. She will transfer to Peru State College to pursue an education
degree.
In order to qualify for the
scholarships, students must have a minimum 3.5 grade-point average and
be a member of PTK. Two-hundred scholarships are given out each year
from the honor society.
PTK's purpose
is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college
students and provide growth and development through leadership and
service.
Ryan Purdy, president of
Mid-Plains Community College and emcee of the event, congratulated the
students for their accomplishments.
"Community colleges really shape Nebraska," he said.