Wayne State College will hold commencement ceremonies for graduate and undergraduate students on Saturday, May 6, 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 603 degrees will be conferred by Wayne State President Marysz Rames. Those students receiving their degrees include 429 undergraduates and 174 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 Business Administration, Counseling, and Education Specialist programs.
The graduate ceremony will feature an invocation by master’s candidate Kentavis Goodwin-Brice of Bloomfield, Connecticut; 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 Kari Lynn Tunink of Columbus will deliver graduation remarks.
The undergraduate ceremony will feature an invocation by bachelor’s candidate Isabelle Vacek of Ankeny, Iowa; 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. Randa Garden, professor of communication arts, will receive the State Nebraska Bank & Trust Teaching Excellence Award; and Dr. Paul Turman, chancellor of the Nebraska State College System, will deliver remarks.
Graduate Invocation: Kentavis Goodwin-Brice
Kentavis Goodwin-Brice of Bloomfield, Connecticut, will deliver the invocation for the graduate commencement ceremony. He is graduating with a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in Sociological Studies and Organizational Leadership and Management.
Originally from Norfolk, he graduated from Wayne State in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a minor in Public Administration.
As an undergraduate at WSC, he was an Honors Colloquium student, earning Scholar in the Major honors. He was named WSC Sociology Student of the Year in 2013 and was a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Sociological Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Goodwin-Brice works for the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families as the multidisciplinary evaluation program and contract manager. He oversees 12 foster care health care clinics across the state that screen the physical, dental, developmental, behavioral, and emotional health of children who enter into the Connecticut DCF foster care system.
In addition to his work, he serves on the State of Connecticut DCF Central Office Diversity Action Team, the State of Connecticut Health Management and Oversight Division Racial Justice Committee, Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Chamber (CTGLC) board vice president, Hartford Stage Company board member, and as a MixxedFit Dance Fitness National Trainer.
Goodwin-Brice is the son of Delisa Brice Monroe of Norfolk, and is married to the Rev. Darrell Goodwin, executive conference minister and president of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ.
He is the third in his family to earn a Wayne State degree. His sister, Sakena Brice Jones, graduated with him in 2013, and his cousin, Marcellus Brice, also holds a WSC degree.
Graduate Speaker: Kari L. Tunink
Kari L. Tunink of Columbus will deliver the student remarks for the graduate commencement ceremony. She is graduating with a Master of Business Administration degree with an Accounting focus.
Tunink teaches business at Columbus High School. She is active with Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) as a professional division member and high school division adviser.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2008.
She is originally from Osmond. She is married to Tyler Tunink, with whom she has two children, Bre and Baylee.
Baccalaureate Invocation: Isabelle Vacek
Isabelle Vacek of Ankeny, Iowa, will deliver the invocation for the undergraduate ceremony. She is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Services. Vacek is the daughter of Ken and Katie Vacek of Ankeny, Iowa.
She was a student-athlete at Wayne State, playing volleyball and beach volleyball for the nationally ranked Wildcats. She is graduating with high honors. Academically, she participated in the Wildcat Academy of Leadership and Knowledge (WALK) and served as co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, student senator for Behavioral Sciences, and senate representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Vacek also served as president of the Psychology/Sociology Club, vice president of Pi Gamma Mu, the social sciences honor society, president of Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology, and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society and an active member of the Philomathean President’s Honor Society.
Vacek said she plans to attend the University of Kansas to pursue a master’s degree in counseling psychology after graduation.
