Janet Lebeda, interim executive director of Wayne State University’s Office of Cooperative Education, said the Career Scholars program, also known as “Growing Together,” serves as an educational springboard for WSC students.
The cooperative education program supports business and economic development in Northeast Nebraska while retaining young talent for the workforce. Members of the program do not have to be from Northeast Nebraska, but students must have an ACT score of 18 and be admitted to WSC in one of the eligible fields of study listed. These courses include business administration, computer information systems, education, and more.
The Growing Together program launched in 2020, and the 2024 Career Scholars are the first students to graduate from the program.
The program was launched with state support and grant funding to increase the workforce in certain high-demand areas, and is also in partnership with the Growing Together initiative.
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It’s a passion project for WSC President Marysz Rames. “This program wouldn’t be what it is today without our entire organization coming together,” Lebeda said.
Recently, there have been some changes within the program. First, the program received an anonymous donation of $2.6 million.
Previous students have received approximately $24,000 in scholarships over four years. Starting with the class of 2028, Career Scholars will receive $33,000 over four years. First-year students are eligible to receive up to $5,000, sophomores up to $6,000, juniors up to $7,000, and seniors can receive $5,000 for tuition and $10,000 for housing.
The program has custom-built homes in Norfolk and Grand Island, Nebraska. Students in the program complete an accelerated program in their field of study from their freshman through junior years, and in their senior year, they do an internship at a company in the field of their direct student choice while earning college credits.
Because the class of 2028 will be the program’s largest student population, some changes have been made to how program staff work directly with each student. Staff will guide these students from their freshman through senior years as they settle into college and provide mentorship for a number of years.
