Midland University honored 16 students as 2021-22 Who’s Who Award recipients during a ceremony Monday at the Olson Student Center.
The Who’s Who Award recognizes students for their academic achievement, service to their community, leadership in co-curricular activities, and potential for continued success beyond Midland University.
The honorees include Fremonters Samantha Shepard and Katlin Vampola.
Shepard’s major is in Elementary Education with minors in early childhood, ESL, and HAL. She is also earning a second degree in Marketing. Shepard is the captain of th basketball team, president of FCA, a member of CRU and the Student Education Association.
Vampola’s major is Elementary Education with an endorsement in Early Childhood Education. She lives in Fremont with her husband and their daughter.
Other honorees include:
Madison Andersen is from Lincoln, and is majoring in Human Performance with a concentration in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition. Throughout her time on campus, she has been involved with Softball, the Anderson Leader Program, Honors Program, FCA, and Student Senate.
Cailin Brashear is a San Diego native. While pursuing her bachelor’s in Business Management at Midland, Cailin has displayed no shortage of Warrior spirit, participating in Midland Activities Crew, Warrior Welcome Days, Circle K International, Professional Business Leaders, and coaching fellow students on all things professional in the Career Studio. Outside of Midland, Cailin has impacted the community with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, The Fremont Area Veterans coalition, and Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries.
Abigail Bruck is from Harlan, Iowa, and is majoring in Elementary Education with endorsements in Special Education and Coaching.She was a member of the Midland University swim team for three years. She currently works at the YMCA, is a student worker at Midland, and Cedar Bluffs Elementary School.
Morgan Donald is an Elementary Education major with an endorsement in Special Education. The Lincoln native will be student-teaching this spring semester with Lincoln Public Schools. While at Midland, she has been involved with the cheerleading program for the past four years, and has been a gameday captain the past two years. She has also been involved with Phi Omega Sorority, Cardinal Key National Honor Society, SEA, and was also a Mid101 Student Co-Facilitator this past semester.
Madison Eich is from Papillion and is receiving her degree in General Business with minors in Digital Marketing, Sociology, and Psychology. Throughout her time at Midland she has been the Student Senate president, served with the Art’s Leadership Council, Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Game Day Dance Team, and Premier Dance Company, this year as a captain.
Peyton Garbers is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and is majoring in History and English.
Will Hastreiter is an Arts Management major with a focus in Theater from Elkhorn. He enjoys all aspects of the Arts at Midland. He plans to be a GA for the Arts Program after graduation.
Sidney Howard is from Altoona, Kan., and is double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She is a member of the competitive dance team.
Brea Lovitt is from Beatrice, Nebrask and is pursuing a Nursing (BSN) degree and will graduate in May. Brea is involved in the Midland University dance team, Warrior Wildfire competitive dance team, Student Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Nursing Honor Society, Phi Omega, works in the Academic Resource center as a nursing consultant, and is an Admissions Ambassador.
Marissa Napolitano is from Mead and is majoring in Nursing and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She plans to work as an Emergency Department/Trauma nurse after graduation and will continue her education by attaining a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), eventually working as a DNP in a trauma unit or with the FBI.
Melissa Niles is originally from Tucson, Arizona. She taught and traveled with The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts, leading her to pursue a B.A. in Secondary Education with an English as a Second Language endorsement. During her time at Midland, she played on the Women’s lacrosse team and helped found Midland’s first LGBTQ+ organization, PRISM.
Katie Polodna is a senior Biology major with minors in Psychology and Chemistry from Omaha. She is involved in both University Choir and Clef Dwellers, an a cappella group. Katie is also the President of the EcoWarriors club on campus. She works in the academic resource center as a learning consultant for the sciences and psychology, and she is the supplemental instructor for organic chemistry.
Casey Thompson is from Omaha and is a Biology major with a concentration in Environmental Science, a Nutrition minor, and a Coaching Endorsement. CaseyAnn is an FCA leader, a bible study leader, and a captain on the flag football team.
Caden White is from Lincoln and is majoring in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Special Education. He was the Treasurer of the Student Education Association Board last year. He has also been a student co-facilitator for MID 101. Cade has tutored math and language arts as a private instructor. He was a member of the Midland swim team for two years and was team captain for both of those years. He is a recipient of the Attracting Excellence to Teacher Program award two years in a row. He has also been a part of the Anderson Leadership program.
