Awards Ceremony & Legislative Reception 2019 Presentation of Call to order Ernie Over President, Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees Welcome Erin Taylor Executive Director, Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees Wyoming All-State Academic Team Ceremonies Dr. Stefani Hicswa President, Northwest College Introduction of 2018-19 nominees Announcement of winners Ernie Over President, Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees Concluding remarks Erin Taylor Executive Director, Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees WACCT AWARDS 5PM Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres 5:45PM Presentation of WACCT Awards 6:30PM Legislative Reception The biographies listed on the following pages are edited versions of the complete nomination packages submitted. Student of the Year AWARD ALBERT SIXFEATHERS | Casper College When Albert first came to the Adult Learning Center in August 2016, it was immediately apparent he was a motivated student. Since he enrolled at Casper College, Albert has been steadily employed and is an outstanding work-study student for the Adult Learning Center. He was selected as a congressional intern for Senator John Barrasso, and was recognized in the Congressional Record on July 25, 2018. This student has faced many challenges in completing his high school and college education, and has met each challenge with determination. His ultimate educational goal is to attend law school so he can help Native Americans, and we have no doubt he will succeed. Albert is a pleasure to work with and an inspiration to all who know him. JENN PFISTERER | Central Wyoming College As a child, Jenn Pfisterer spent nearly a year at Children’s Hospital in Denver prepping to be a bone marrow donor for her older brother. Nurses inspired Jenn to become a nurse, and after her daughter was diagnosed with vocal cord tumors, once more she knew she must pursue her dream. As a nursing student, she demonstrates a deep commitment to patients and earns high scores. With four young children, Jenn balances school and manages her husband’s businesses. As Nursing Association VP, she organized Thanksgiving baskets for those in need. Her leadership has made a bone marrow registry drive an annual event. She’s organizing a trip to Haiti to participate in a service experience during which she will perform health assessments alongside Haitian healthcare providers. KODI EDWARDS | Eastern Wyoming College Kodi proved herself to be one of the hardest working players on EWC’s Volleyball Team, one who would do anything for the betterment of her team. Her natural leadership skills serve her well on the court, academically and in her campus involvement. When asked to serve as a student representative for Governor Mead’s ENDOW Initiative, she jumped in as an active, vocal participant. Kodi was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, has been on the President’s Honor Roll and currently has a 3.91 GPA. While working on the family’s ranch this past summer, Kodi broke her leg, but that didn’t slow her down. She worked hard on rehabilitation and came back to be recognized as an Academic All-Region IX Student Athlete and Second Team NJCAA All-American. CHELSEA DAVIS-HEARN | Laramie County Community College A non-traditional student, Chelsea has faced significant challenges. As a teenager, she became a mother and put college on hold. In 2017, she decided to continue her education while raising a family and working. She has demonstrated an innate ability to balance the requirements of school, work and family life with a commitment to the community and those in need. As a member of Phi Theta Kappa, she initiated “Chelsea’s Challenge,” which included a drive to gather blankets for the homeless community and a Toys for Tots collection. She even brought her challenge to PTK regional chapters, obtaining donations of travel toiletries for a local charity. Through her actions, Chelsea epitomizes the values of perseverance, service, caring, academic excellence and love of community. SANDRA COLEMAN | Northern Wyoming Community College District Sandy Coleman was born and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming. After graduating from Sheridan High School, she enlisted in the Army and has traveled and lived all over the world. After 20 years of service, Sandy moved back to Sheridan and is currently a second-year Fine Art student at Sheridan College. She is an exemplary student, kind to others, engaged in learning and a diligent student employee. Sandy has clearly demonstrated a commitment to her academic goals and achieves at a high level of success. She inspires other students to achieve their goals despite obstacles they may face. Sandy positively represents Sheridan College and the Wyoming community college vision by excelling academically, participating on campus and giving to others through volunteerism. TIFFANY BERGMAN | Northwest College Campus and community service run deep inside Tiffany Bergman. After her election as NWC’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter President, it was clear the organization would have strong leadership. In addition, Tiffany was one of the founders of the college’s new Psychology Club and this year serves as Vice President of Public Relations. In addition to Tiffany’s receipt of the prestigious Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship—one of only about 200 in the country— she also taught her fellow PTK chapter members how to use PTK’s scholarship portal to apply for compatible scholarships. That selfless contribution yielded two additional Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars from NWC. In the history of the college’s involvement in the scholarship program, NWC has had only one previous scholarship recipient. MARIZA SALGUERO | Western Wyoming Community College Mariza Salguero is an adventurous and highly motivated student who is always open to learning. This is reflected in the wide variety of leadership roles she has been elected to or volunteered for on campus. Mariza is a Resident Assistant; Treasurer of the Student Government Association; Vice President of Eco Club; Student Editor for Western’s e-newsletter, Panorama; active Dance Club member; and student worker in Administrative Services. She has established herself as the go-to person for dealing with roommate conflicts and sensitive issues like suicide and mental health concerns. Mariza positively impacts Western’s students and community by supporting causes to create a better society. Faculty Member AWARD ART WASHUT | Casper College Art Washut is a Casper native who graduated from Casper College with an A.S. degree in law enforcement. He went on to Chadron State College where he completed a B.A. degree in criminal justice. He began a career in policing at the Casper Police Department. During his career, he performed a wide range of duties including uniformed patrol, traffic enforcement, traffic crash investigator, crime scene investigator and warrant officer. He was promoted to sergeant then to lieutenant and to deputy police chief. Art was the interim chief of police until his retirement. Art enjoys baseball and football and serves on the board of directors of Casper Midget Football. He also enjoys gardening, fishing, shooting and hunting. Most of all he enjoys his family. JEREMY NIELSEN | Central Wyoming College Blending his passion for film and teaching into an environment of growth and learning, Jeremy Nielsen motivates students to follow their passions. Nielsen has held several film industry positions, including music composer. He has made CWC’s Film program a premier degree. Nielsen has expanded his knowledge by creating scripts and submitting them to festivals. He co- wrote two scripts with a student which resulted in Best Drama Script at the New York Television Festival. He was accepted to the Sundance Film Fellow, Sundance Institute Episodic Writing Lab and was an Austin Film Festival finalist. In addition to industry knowledge, he provides students with access to first-rate equipment such as the RED digital cinema camera. His students work to develop projects they feature in CWC’s annual student film festival. JOHN MARRIN | Eastern Wyoming College John joined the EWC team in 2016 as a business and marketing faculty member. In his first year, he started the National Millennial Business Club, making EWC the only community college involved in this business organization. Students involved in this club have had the opportunity to travel to conferences and businesses around the country, gaining access to some of the top business professionals in the U.S. John also serves as an active member of the Eastern Wyoming College Foundation, which requires a great amount of time and energy. Those nominating John shared that he has a deep devotion to our students and fundamental belief in providing them the tools to succeed in life. DAWN JUNG | Laramie County Community College Demonstrating a passion that goes beyond the classroom, Dawn connects with each student to understand individual skills and tools needed for success, encouraging each student to realize their own potential. Her student-centered drive is proven in the completion numbers in her classroom. She has increased the performance measures and completion rate by more than 10% during the last two years. Dawn was responsible for redesigning the adult education learning environment to a structured classroom with managed enrollment. She also created high school equivalency preparation curriculum and redesigned the classes, resulting in increased retention and performance. She updated the curriculum to incorporate workplace readiness and career exploration into students’ basic skills learning, preparing her students for college and the workforce. DOUG McGEE | Northern Wyoming Community College District Dr. Doug McGee teaches Political Science and Economics at Gillette College. He also directs a pilot Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. His areas of specialization include American and Wyoming government, international relations, Latin American politics and energy politics. His current research interests explore the relationship between natural resource dependence and trajectories for political development and economic diversification in Wyoming and the American West.