Plans being made for Wayne State College commencement

WAYNE — Wayne State College will hold a commencement ceremony for graduate and undergraduate students at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, in Rice Auditorium. A total of 296 degrees will be conferred. Those students receiving their degrees include 203 undergraduates and 93 graduate students from the college’s Master of Science in Education, Master of Organizational Management, Master of Business Administration, and Education Specialist programs.

Brianna L. Pfund, of Hartington, Neb., will deliver the invocation. She is graduating with a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She is the daughter of Joe and Sonya Schroeder. She is engaged to be married to Justin Lange.

Pfund was on the Deans List for four years while active with Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education, and the Newman Center.

Pfund joins her mother, Sonya, her sister, Brittany Garthoff, and her brother-in-law, Jared Garthoff, as a Wayne State graduate.

Halle Hiemstra of Wahoo, will deliver the undergraduate commencement address. She is graduating with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. She is the daughter of Kirk and Amy Hiemstra.

Hiemstra was a Neihardt Scholar, one of Wayne State’s marquee scholarship programs, and was a member of the Wildcat Academy of Leadership and Knowledge (WALK) and the Honors Program.

She served as a Wayne State Navigator as part of the team of students who work for the Admissions office, and was active with the Newman Club and Wildcat PR, the student public relations club.

Hiemstra said she plans to enter the workforce in Lincoln this spring. She and her fiancé, Tommy Benes, plan to marry in March and hope to do mission work together for a few years, before moving back to the Wahoo area near their families to fully pursue their careers.

Jesse Zavadil of Schuyler, will deliver the graduate commencement address. He is graduating with an Education Specialist graduate degree in School Administration and Educational Leadership. He is the son of David and Barbara Zavadil of Crofton.

Zavadil works as the Middle School Principal in Schuyler. He is a member of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and secretary/ treasurer of the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals Region III. He coaches youth softball and basketball for his daughters’ teams in Schuyler.