Wayne State College will hold commencement ceremonies for graduate and undergraduate students on May 4 in the college’s historic Willow Bowl amphitheater. The graduate student ceremony will be at 10 a.m. and the undergraduate ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the ceremonies will be held in Rice Auditorium.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed at www.wsc.edu/watch-live.
A total of 569 degrees will be conferred by Wayne State President Marysz Rames. Those students receiving their degrees include 424 undergraduates and 145 graduate students. Graduate students are earning their degrees from the college’s Master of Science in Education, Master of Science in Organizational Management, Master of Interdisciplinary Studies, Master of Business Administration, Master’s in Counseling, and Education Specialist programs.
The graduate ceremony will feature an invocation by master’s candidate Wiryoka Angela Maria Monte of Willemstad, Curaçao; Carter “Cap” Peterson, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State College System, will bring greetings from the board; and master’s candidate Preston James Davis of Mondamin, Iowa, will deliver graduation remarks.
The undergraduate ceremony will feature an invocation by bachelor’s candidate Leah Rebekah Bennett of Johannesburg, South Africa; Carter “Cap” Peterson, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State College System, will bring greetings from the board; seven retiring faculty will be recognized; Dr. Alan Bruflat, professor of language and literature, will receive the State Nebraska Bank & Trust Teaching Excellence Award; and Calie Rabbass of Pender, will deliver the undergraduate address.
Of special note for the undergraduate ceremony, Leslie and Tim Bebee, longtime supporters of Wayne State College, will be awarded Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters for their unwavering commitment to the college and community.
Wiryoka Angela Maria Monte, Invocation Speaker:
Wiryoka Angela Maria Monte of Willemstad, Curaçao, will deliver the graduate ceremony invocation. She is graduating with a Master of Science in Organizational Management (MSOM) degree with a focus on Public Relations.
Monte was an honor student (Cum Laude) in her undergraduate studies at Wayne State. Throughout the time earning her bachelor’s degree, she was involved in international student organizations and the Black Student Association. She also has served as a WSC Ambassador for prospective international students from Curaçao.
Monte aspires to work in the field of public relations/communications as an advisor or consultant. She also plans to continue providing support to WSC prospective students from Curaçao by guiding them through the admissions process.
Preston James Davis, Commencement Speaker:
Preston James Davis of Mondamin, Iowa, will deliver the graduate commencement address. He is graduating with a Master of Science in Organizational Management degree with a focus on Sport and Recreational Management.
Davis served as the graduate assistant coach for the Wayne State Track and Field and Cross Country teams. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and Exercise Science from Wayne State in 2021, earning Honorable Mention honors. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Team of Excellence (academics) and a track and field athlete representing the Wildcats on the NSIC podium on nine occasions.
Davis plans to move to Des Moines, Iowa, to work at Drake University to produce one of the world's largest track meets, the Drake Relays.
Davis shared that because of his education and experiences at Wayne State, he has been able to work major sporting events, such as the World Athletics Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., in 2022, which was the first time the world championships were held in the U.S.; the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha; the 2023 Waste Management Open (PGA) in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and 2 Super Bowls (LVII in Phoenix and LVIII in Vegas).
Davis’s brother, Patrick, also graduated from Wayne State, earning his Sport Management degree in 2020.
Leah Rebekah Bennett, Invocation Speaker:
Leah Rebekah Bennett of Johannesburg, South Africa, will deliver the undergraduate invocation. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication/Digital Film Production and Theory.
Bennett maintained a 4.0 grade-point average during all of her time at Wayne State and was named to the Edward Jones Presidential Scholar Athlete Honor Roll. In addition to an athletic scholarship to play soccer for Wayne State, she also received the Carrigg Family Endowed Scholarship.
She competed in the film department screenwriting competition three semesters in a row, coming in first place twice and second once and earning the opportunity to produce her films. Her first film, titled “This is He”, is currently competing in film festivals globally and she plans to submit her other two films for competition as well.
In addition to her work with film production, Bennett played for the WSC women's soccer team; served as a staff writer for the Wayne Stater student newspaper in Fall 2023; and worked as a supervisor in the WSC Rec Center.
Bennett says that after graduation she plans to pursue a career in media production and creative design in Dallas, Texas. She said she plans to one day obtain her master of fine arts in screenwriting to later become a film professor, while producing her own films concerning important social themes like race, gender and sexuality. She also plans to create her own foundation in South Africa, with the help of her family, to help girls like her achieve their dreams of studying abroad in the U.S., providing them with financial solutions and information on how to be successful in their pursuit as well as guidance on how they can use sport to fund their education.
Calie Rabbass, Commencement Speaker:
Calie Rabbass of Pender, will deliver the undergraduate commencement address. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Pre-law.
Rabbass is a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society and Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society for Social Sciences. She received the Rural Law Opportunities Program scholarship and the Presidential scholarship. She was on the Dean's List during all of the semesters that she was a student at Wayne State.
Rabbass served as a Freshman Representative for Student Senate. She has been a member of the Criminal Justice Association for two years, serving as vice president this year. She also helped created the club, Legal Minds, this year and served as vice president. She has been involved with Pi Gamma Mu for three semesters, serving as a vice president this year. She has also been a member of Rotaract this past year.
Rabbass will be attending the University of Nebraska College of Law this fall.
