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Chelsea
Schrage
graduated in May 2012 with a major in Geography. She
participated in several internships while at WSC, most notably a
summer spent at the Bighorn
National Forest Visitor Center in Wyoming. At WSC she was
initiated into Gamma
Theta Upsilon and also served as Vice-President of the
Explorers Club. Starting
in
the summer of 2012, Chelsea accepted a position at Mahoney State
Park near Ashland, Nebraska.
Her goal is to work at other state parks in Nebraska as well. |
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Corey Uldrich graduated in May 2009 with a Field Endorsement in Social Sciences Education. He was recognized at graduation as Summa cum Laude with Scholar in the Major. At WSC he was initiated into Pi Gamma Mu, Gamma Theta Upsilon, Phi Alpha Theta, and Phi Kappa Phi. His honors project was entitled, "Parking for All? The Geography of Parking at Wayne State College." Starting in the fall of 2009, Corey accepted a position teaching social studies and coaching at Hartington Cedar Catholic High School in northeast Nebraska. |
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Heather Hegi graduated in May 2009 as a Geography major with minors in Earth Science and Environmental Studies. She graduated Honorable Mention Honors with Scholar in the Major. Heather served as President of Pi Gamma Mu and as Vice-President of Gamma Theta Upsilon. She attended the Fall 2008 Pi Gamma Mu Convention in Atlanta and presented a paper at the Spring 2009 South Dakota State Geography Convention. Her honors project was entitled, "Newly Independent Countries: An Examination of the Viability of Selected States from 1992-Present." During the summers of 2008-09, Heather interned for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks. Following graduation, Heather earned a Masters in GIS at the University of Minnesota and subsequently went to work as GIS Specialist for the city of Golden Valley, MN. |
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Cara Watchorn graduated in May 2007 with degrees in Geography and Speech Communication. She was recognized at graduation as Honorable Mention Honors. At WSC Cara served as President of Pi Gamma Mu and the Explorers Club, and as Vice-President of Gamma Theta Upsilon. She presented papers during Fall 2005 at the triennial Pi Gamma Mu Convention in Nashville and during spring 2006 at the South Dakota State Geography Convention. Her honors project was entitled, "Subterranean Beauties: Jewel Cave and Wind Cave." During the summer of 2006, Cara worked at Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Following graduation, Cara accepted a position at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Environmental Education at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN |
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Seth Poldberg graduated in December 2006 with a Field Endorsement in Social Sciences Education. He was recognized at graduation as Honorable Mention Honors and Scholar in the Major. At WSC he was initiated into Pi Gamma Mu, Gamma Theta Upsilon, and Phi Alpha Theta. His honors project was entitled, "From Copenhagen to Elk Horn, Iowa: How Tourism Funds a Small Community." In the spring of 2007, he accepted an internship with U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and worked at the Hart Senate Building in Washington, D.C. Starting in the fall of 2007, Seth accepted a social studies/coaching position at Prairie City-Monroe school district in Monroe, Iowa about 25 miles southeast of Des Moines. |
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Brian
Bruckner
graduated in December 2006 with a degree in Geography and minors in
Earth Science and Public Administration. He was
recognized at
graduation as
Honorable Mention Scholarship Honors. While at WSC, he was
initiated into Pi
Gamma Mu and Gamma
Theta Upsilon. Brian spent the summer of 2006 doing
an internship with the Assistant to the Director of the Woodbury
County Rural Economic Development Office. His honors
project was
entitled, "The
Ogallala Aquifer: Critical Resource for Nebraska."
After graduation, Brian was hired as a
Groundwater Management Area Specialist
with the Lower Elkhorn NRD based
in Norfolk, NE. He works with farmers to mitigate groundwater pollution by
coordinating
soil sampling, nutrient management plans, and fertilizer
application certification. |
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Phil Heimann graduated in December 2006 with a degree in Geography and minors in Earth Science and Biology. He was initiated into Gamma Theta Upsilon. While at WSC, Phil interned at the Wayne Municipal Building under the supervision of the City Inspector. After graduation, he was hired as a temporary GIS Technician with the Twin Platte NRD based in North Platte, NE and was later hired on permanently as a Conservation Technician. His work involves helping to create and maintain maps of the irrigated crop acreage in the area. He credits his internship experience with helping him land a job that he loves. |
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Chris Lord graduated in December 2006 with teaching endorsements in both Geography Education and History Education. His academic work was recognized at graduation as Honorable Mention Honors with Scholar in the Major. While at WSC, he was inducted into the honor societies of Gamma Theta Upsilon, Phi Alpha Theta, and Pi Gamma Mu. His honors project was entitled, "Glacier National Park: What if There Were No More Glaciers?" and the full text was published in WSC's Hot Papers 2007, recognizing the best academic writing on campus. After graduation, Chris took a position teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies at Winnebago Public High School. He can be reached at lord31@hotmail.com. |
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Steve Walsh graduated in May 2006 with a degree in Geography and a minor in History. He was recognized at graduation as Honorable Mention Scholarship Honors. While at WSC, he became a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon and was also a member of the WSC baseball squad that won four consecutive NSIC conference championships. His honors project was entitled, "The Whitetail Deer Impact on North Dakota's Economy." In December 2006, Steve was accepted by Homeland Security for training as a Border Patrol Agent and will be stationed in Willcox, Arizona. Contact him at nonofit@hotmail.com. |
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Jill Houghtelling (nee Zimmerman) graduated in May 2005 with a Field Endorsement in Social Sciences Education and a certificate in Coaching. She was recognized at graduation as Summa Cum Laude with Scholar in the Major. At WSC she was initiated into Pi Gamma Mu, Gamma Theta Upsilon, and Phi Alpha Theta. Her honors project was entitled, "Historical Geography of the Sandhills." In 2005, Jill accepted a position as social studies teacher and volleyball coach at Winside Middle School in northeast Nebraska. She participated in the June 2007 summer institute "Modern Mapmaking" sponsored by the Geographic Educators of Nebraska. |
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Kyle Sukup graduated in December 2005 with a degree in Geography and a minor in Public Administration. While at WSC, he was inducted into Gamma Theta Upsilon. After graduation, Kyle took a position with Union Pacific as a Precision Measurement Vehicle Operator. Part of his work involves mapping the entire 33,000 miles of the UP system west of the Mississippi River along with segments of CSX track in the east. The data and digital maps are used by train dispatchers, engineering companies, and real estate firms. In addition, these maps are currently being used to help create simulators for training locomotive engineers. Kyle reports that one of the best perks of his job is having the opportunity to travel nearly the entire country. Contact him at kassukup@yahoo.com. |
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Josie Wolff graduated in December 2005 with degrees in Geography and Business Administration (concentration in International Business). While at WSC, she was a member of the geography honor society Gamma Theta Upsilon, the social sciences honor society Pi Gamma Mu, and the business honor society Sigma Beta Delta. Her honors project was entitled, "Harmful Effects of Food Aid From the West: A Case Study of Somalia." Josie is currently employed as an insurance account specialist at Farm Credit Services of America in Norfolk, NE. Since she handles crop insurance, Josie says that some of what she learned at WSC (e.g., plat maps and weather) is coming in handy! |
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Troy Gilmore graduated in August of 2005 with a double major in Geography and Human Services Counseling. Soon after, Troy got hired at what he considers his "dream job" opportunity--training to be an elk hunting guide at the Flying B Ranch in the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests in North Central Idaho. |
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Norman
B. Small II
graduated in May 2005 with degrees in Geography and Psychology.
While at WSC, he was a member of the geography honor society
Gamma
Theta Upsilon, the history honor society
Phi
Alpha Theta, and the psychology honor society Psi
Chi. Norm
also served as president of the
social
sciences honor society
Pi
Gamma Mu,
and he traveled with the Explorers
Club. His
honors
project was
entitled, "200
Years of Map Making in the United States: From Lewis and Clark to
Present Day." Norm also gave
a presentation at the 2005 South Dakota State Undergraduate
Geography Conference in Brookings, SD. He recently
accepted a position as the Geographic
Information Systems Specialist for Madison
County in Nebraska.
He is also working on a
certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through the University
of Denver's online
graduate program for
Organizational Leadership. Contact Norm at nbsmall2@msn.com. |
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Camy
Havlicek
graduated in May 2005 with subject
teaching endorsements in both Geography Education and History
Education.
While at WSC, she was inducted into the honor societies of Gamma
Theta Upsilon,
Phi
Alpha Theta,
and Pi
Gamma Mu, and
she also traveled on Explorers
Club trips. She
also
served as President of PAT (the history honor society) and
Vice-president of GTU (the geography honor society). Her
honors project dealt with the history of female pirates. After
graduation, Camy
accepted a position teaching
junior
high students at the Boys and Girls home in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Currently, she teaches in the Des Moines, Iowa area. |
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Jamie Petersen graduated in May 2005 with a degree in Geography and minors in Earth Science and Environmental Science. He was initiated at WSC into Gamma Theta Upsilon (geography). During his time in school, Jamie worked at two different internships--one in Florida and one in Omaha--that utilized his GIS skills. Shortly after graduation, he accepted a position at the Omaha branch of ATC Associates Inc., an environmental/health/safety consulting firm where his official title was Industrial Hygienest/Environmental Specialist. Recently, Jamie was contacted by the Omaha firm where he did his internship while enrolled at WSC --Applied Data Consultants--and they offered him a full-time position as a GIS Analyst. Way to go, Jamie! Today, he is a GIS Analyst for Pottawattamie County in Iowa. |
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Jeff Konkoleski
graduated in May 2005 with subject teaching endorsements in both
Geography Education and History Education. He was
initiated at WSC into the honor societies of Gamma
Theta Upsilon (geography) and Phi Alpha Theta (history). In the fall of
2005,
Jeff accepted a position at Ainsworth Community School in
north central Nebraska where he teaches middle school social
studies and also some high school courses. Jeff was an
assistant coach on the 2007 Bulldogs boys basketball team that
won the state class C-1 championship. |
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Gary
Hansen
graduated in May 2005 with a major in Geography. He was
initiated into the Lambda Zeta chapter of Gamma
Theta Upsilon while attending Wayne State College. He was also
formally commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corp, Prairie Fire
Battalion. 2LT Hansen attended the Infantry Officer Basic
Course at Fort Benning, GA and then rejoined the Nebraska
National Guard. He
served nearly two years in Iraq (left, WSC Prof. Paul
Campbell
administers the National Guard oath to Gary). |
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Jarrod Knudsen graduated in May 2005 with a major in Geography and minors in Earth Science and History. He was initiated into the Lambda Zeta chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon. He recently took a position with Hertz Rental Cars at Omaha's Eppley Airport and manages the inboard GPS systems for the rental fleet. |
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Troxl
Miner
graduated in May 2005 with a major in Geography and a minor in
Social Sciences. His
honors
project was
entitled, "Fighting
Back: An Analysis of Environmental Organization in Rural
Nebraska."
Troxl
also presented at the 2005 South Dakota State Undergraduate
Geography Conference in Brookings, SD. While at WSC,
he was initiated into three honor societies: Gamma
Theta Upsilon (geography), Phi Alpha Theta (history), and
Pi
Gamma Mu
(social sciences). In
the fall of 2005, Troxl will enter the Masters program in
Geography at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will be fully
funded through a graduate assistantship. Good luck, Troxl! |
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Roy
Zach
graduated in May 2004 with a major in Geography. Roy was a
two-time winner of the Outstanding
Student in Geography Award
in 2003 and 2004, served as President of Gamma
Theta Upsilon, won a John David
Robinson geography scholarship,
did an honors project, and was presented with GTU's
Excellence in
Geography
award
in
2004. In the fall of 2005, Roy will enter the Masters
program in Geography at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and
will be fully funded through a graduate assistantship.
Well done, Roy! |
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Ted
Gibson
graduated in December of 2003 with a major in Geography.
Ted was inducted into Gamma
Theta Upsilon while at WSC and also did an internship at Applied
Data Consultants
in Eau Claire, WI. In January 2005, Ted enrolled in the
Masters program in Geography at the University of North Dakota
in Grand Forks and will be funded through a teaching
assistantship. Way to go, Ted! |
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Matt Tobias
graduated in December of 2003 with a major in Geography.
Matt was inducted into Gamma
Theta Upsilon while at WSC and also did an internship with
the city utility department in South Sioux City, NE. Matt
later took a job as a Development Planner with SIMPCO in Sioux City
where he made maps of development areas in the Sioux City
area. Later,
Matt moved to Omaha and took a position with Terracon
as an
Environmental Scientist where
he collected and analyzed soil samples as well as indoor air
quality surveys.
In 2006, Matt accepted a position as Environmental Analyst with the City
of Sioux Falls, SD where he spends
most of his time working with the city’s storm water management
program.
Matt invites anyone wanting to talk about WSC
Geography to contact him at MTobias@siouxfalls.org. |
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Stacy Johnson graduated in December of 2003 with teaching endorsements in Geography and History. A charter member of the Lambda Zeta chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon founded at WSC in April of 2002, Stacy also served for two years as President of Pi Gamma Mu, the social sciences honorary. She earned a ton of awards while at WSC, including a John David Robinson geography scholarship and the Gamma Theta Upsilon Excellence in Geography award. Her honors project was entitled, "The Invisible Empire Unveiled: A Geography of the Ku Klux Klan." Stacy is currently teaching geography, government, and history at Rock County HS in Bassett, NE and coaches girls basketball as well. To ask her questions about teaching as a career path, just contact Stacy at n2johnson@huntel.net. |
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Beau
Denker
graduated summa cum laude in 2003 with a double major in
Chemistry and Geography. While at WSC, he was inducted
into both Gamma
Theta Upsilon and Pi
Gamma Mu, and also earned a John David
Robinson scholarship.
Beau
also won the 2002 Outstanding
Student in Geography Award.
After
graduation, Beau immediately found work with North American
Sweeteners through Cargill, Inc. He is a quality assurance
chemist in charge of the corn milling process at a plant in
Blair, NE. Since Cargill is based around the world in
almost 100 cities, Beau plans to use his geography background to
travel extensively and help set up new plants in foreign
countries. |
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Mike
Stone
graduated in 2003 with a major in Geography and a minor in Earth
Sciences. He served as President of the Gamma
Theta Upsilon charter class of inductees in 2002, won two
John
David Robinson scholarships,
and earned the GTU Excellence
in Geography
award in 2003. Today, Mike is doing what he knows and
loves best--tending the family farm north of Laurel, NE. |
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Curt
Becker
graduated in August of 2002 with a major in Geography and a
minor in Biology. Curt received a John David
Robinson scholarship
at WSC and was also a charter member of the Lambda Zeta chapter
of Gamma
Theta Upsilon founded at WSC in April of 2002. While
studying at WSC, he did an internship for the Lower Elkhorn
Natural Resources District.
He turned his internship into a job in 2003 and went to
work for the NRD full-time as a water resources technician.
In 2005, he took a position with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service in Wahoo, NE as a soil conservation
technician assisting in the layout and installation of soil and
water conservation practices, and working with landowners on
tree planting and grass seeding projects. |
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Nate Dougherty graduated in 2002 with a major in Geography. He was a charter member of the Lambda Zeta chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon founded at WSC in April of 2002 and he was also inducted into Pi Gamma Mu (social sciences honorary) while at WSC. Nate developed an interest in GIS technology during a class field trip to the Omaha Police Department, where he was able to land an internship upon graduation. In the last 10 years, he has held several jobs in the field of GIS. Currently, he is a geographer with the US Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District, where he is involved in both the district and national-level levee safety programs. |
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Jon Kuddes graduated in 2002 with a major in Geography. Jon was inducted into Gamma Theta Upsilon while at WSC and also did an internship with the National Weather Service in Valley, NE. Shortly after graduation, Jon got a job creating maps for Qwest Communications and this allowed him to use his Computer Mapping experience. Recently, Jon parlayed a part-time job in Mead at the University of Nebraska's ARDC (Agricultural Research and Development Center) into a full-time position as a Research Technologist for the Turf Science Team. He now uses his background in Geology and Meteorology (two of his favorite courses while at WSC ) when running tests and doing data analysis on research projects. Jon would be happy to discuss Geography as a career with prospective majors. Contact him at jkuddes2@unlnotes.unl.edu. |
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Jeff
Jepsen
graduated in December 2000 with subject
teaching endorsements in both Geography Education and History
Education,
as well as a certificate in Coaching. He
earned Honorable Mention in honors grade point average and
was also inducted into both Pi
Gammu Mu and Phi
Alpha Theta. He won recognition in 2000 as the WSC
Outstanding Student in Social Sciences Education. In 2005,
Jeff took a teaching position at
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