Two Jurgens Scholars at NCTA

By NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – NCTA Aggie students Macy Zentner of Cedar Rapids and Vanessa Herrera of Lexington have completed their spring semester at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Earlier this semester, each received a $1,000 Glenn Jurgens Memorial Scholarship for 2020-2021, in honor of Professor Jurgens who taught at NCTA and its predecessor institutions of UNSTA and UNSA.

NCTA’s semester concludes this week with graduation on May 6.

Zentner and Herrera are sophomores who will be returning to NCTA next fall and are set to graduate in 2022.

Zentner is majoring in Livestock Industry Management with a certificate in Equine Training Management. On campus, she serves as a resident assistant, is a member of the Ranch Horse Team, and is active in campus clubs and gives visiting students campus tours as an NCTA Ambassador. She is an officer with the NCTA Student Senate and is one of two student representatives serving on the NCTA Dean’s Council.

“I’ve found that NCTA is my ideal place to learn, be involved on campus, use scholarships and hard work to achieve my career goals,” she adds.

“It’s a good fit for me as I love to ride horses, work cattle, and be a part of leadership programs,” Zentner said. She also has had a busy year representing Nebraska’s Big Rodeo as 2020 Miss Burwell Rodeo. This summer she undertakes an NCTA internship at a ranch in Nebraska.

Herrera is enrolled in a three-year program in veterinary technology studies. She is a member of Student Technicians of Veterinary Medical Association and is active with activities at the Veterinary Technology complex.  After graduation next year, her goal is to work with a veterinary clinic in Nebraska.

“I decided to go into the vet tech program because not only do I enjoy the companionship of an animal, but because I love to maintain a busy schedule and learn something different every day,” Herrera says.

“As a vet tech, no day is ever the same over, and over again. I see being a vet tech as a passion not necessarily a job,” she adds.

Herrera will be in NCTA Summer Session for Veterinary Technicians. The eight-week program begins in mid-June and ends in mid-August.  She will complete her VT program next fall and spring, graduating in 2022.

Jurgens Scholars are eligible for a second award. Tiffany Dickau (originally of Elwood) was a recipient in 2019 of a $1,000 scholarship. She then received $500 for her final semester in 2020, finishing a double major in diversified agriculture and agribusiness in December. Now, Dickau is a crop consultant with the agronomic company, Agricultural Services. Inc., located in Emmett.

Influence as teacher, mentor

Professor Jurgens had significant influence on helping high school students proceed to college. The Jurgens Scholarship was started by George Garlick, a McCook native who attended the regional high school in Curtis and graduated in 1954. He was able to advance his education through the encouragement of Glenn Jurgens when the mentor and friend helped secure work study funding for Garlick at Hastings College.

Decades later, after earning his doctorate in electrical engineering, becoming an educator, author, inventor and businessman, Garlick and his wife, Carole, support Aggie students through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Academic standing and financial need are among criteria for the recipients, said Jon Schroeder, a Curtis attorney.

“The Garlicks provide support and encouragement for deserving Nebraska students to attend NCTA,” says Schroeder, local representative for the family.

Schroeder coordinates the scholarship selection with NCTA administrators and a which includes Pam Jurgens, a Curtis resident who is the daughter of Glenn Jurgens. Review of applications for 2021-2022 is underway.

George and Carol Garlick reside at Richland, Washington.

Dr. George F. Garlick is the co-founder and serves as chairman of the board of Advanced Imaging Technologies, Inc.  He has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Solid-State Physics from Iowa State University.  In addition to his research, Garlick has held graduate level teaching posts at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Washington, and Washington State University.

The Garlicks have been contributed numerous gifts to NCTA and the Curtis community including donation of the George and Carol Garlick Aggie West Residence Hall, and funding for the construction of Aggie Central Residence Hall.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in numerous competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.