Aggie Alumni scholarships to Urwiler, Uldrich

Dec. 17, 2019                                                      

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

Family ties are paying off for a future agriculture teacher and a veterinary technician who chose to follow a parent’s path to the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.

Aurora Urwiler of Laurel and Rachelle Uldrich of Fairmont were each recently named a recipients of a $400 scholarship from the Aggie Alumni Association. Each has a parent whose alma mater is NCTA.

Diane Myers Urwiler graduated in 1987 with a degree in veterinary technology. Mike Uldrich, a ’76 graduate of production agriculture, farms at Fairmont.

Their daughters were selected from applicants for the annual scholarship, and will use the awards for their final semester before graduating from NCTA on May 7, 2020.

“This institution is a special place. It made a difference in all of our lives, as graduates, for our children who attended, and for those currently enrolled at NCTA,” said alumni president Ann Bruntz of Friend, a ’71 vet tech graduate.

Bruntz, her husband, David and their daughter Julie were all “Curtis Aggies.”

After graduation, Urwiler will transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and complete a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education.

“I plan on returning to the rural area and teach middle/high school students, and be the advisor for the FFA chapter,” said Urwiler, who is active with Women in Ag and Collegiate FFA/4-H at NCTA.

“It has always been my dream to be a teacher as both my grandma and grandpa on my dad’s side were teachers and so is my aunt,” she added.

Originally, she was going to start her college career at UNL. “But my mom told me how much she enjoyed coming here to NCTA. I took a tour and I fell in love with the campus right away and knew it was where I needed to start.”

Family ties run deep with the agricultural campus as an uncle and aunt, Dale and Michelle (Schurman) Myers are Class of ’92 graduates who met at NCTA.

After graduation in May, Rachelle Uldrich may be working in Kansas or, if in the Fairmont area, then she hopes to also be able to help on her family’s farm.

Currently, she holds down several jobs and will be a part-time student at NCTA in the spring. Jobs with animal clinics in Norfolk and Kearney have given her several experiences in the animal health field.

When Rachelle transferred to NCTA for college, she worked at Aggie Dining, a leadership opportunity to oversee weekend workers in food preparation and evening shifts. “I’ve always encourage my coworkers to do a good job at their job and to work as a team.”

It prepared her for full time work in the cafeteria at Mid Plains Community College in North Platte where she resides while commuting to Curtis for her veterinary technology program.

“This scholarship will help a lot with my tuition and covering other school expenses,” she said.

Financial support to alumni families is the primary goal in awarding two or three scholarships annually, said Bruntz.

“The Aggie Alumni see great value in mentoring and encouraging our hard-working students.”

Funding for the scholarships stems from donations of items to the silent auction at the annual banquet.

Aggie alumni will meet Saturday, June 27 on campus for reunion activities, a business meeting and a luncheon at the historic student union, the former gymnasium that is now a student activity center known as “The Barn.”