95 Sheboygan Area Youth Apprentices Graduate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

6/20/2019

CLEVELAND, WI —

Lakeshore Technical College honored 95 Sheboygan area youth apprentices at a graduation ceremony recently held on its Cleveland campus.

Youth apprenticeships give high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to prepare for the workforce by exploring a future career through hands-on, paid work experience. Over 70 local employers partnered with 126 students from 17 Sheboygan area high schools during the 2018-19 program year.

This year’s 126 youth apprentices gained over 70,000 hours of experience in 10 different career areas spanning a wide range of fields including information technology, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and others. While participating, 147 college credits were earned by those who attended college level classes at LTC.

“Spread the word and share your experience with others about this program. Tell them to take advantage of this opportunity and explore career options right here in Sheboygan County,” said student speaker Justin Swigert, a 2019 Sheboygan North High School graduate who was an automotive program youth apprentice. “This program has paved a path for me after high school, by letting me acquire valuable on-the-job training as well as knowledge about this field.”

Nicholas Gamez, a 2019 Sheboygan South High School graduate who was a health program youth apprentice, explained how the program helped him manage getting a jumpstart on his future nursing career while still in high school. “I think one of the best parts of the program is that I got to work with South High, LTC, and Youth Apprenticeship to make an organized schedule. That meant I was able to take classes at LTC, continue my classes at South, and work.”

Guest speaker Brett Loebel, a Kohler Company maintenance supervisor and youth apprentice mentor, did not attend college immediately after high school. Loebel shared that he took advantage of a layoff during the 2008 recession by enrolling in the electro mechanical technology program at LTC, and later completing his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Lakeland University.

“When opportunities present themselves to you, grab hold of them as you never know when, or if, they will come around again,” Loebel advised the graduates. “Take what you’ve learned during your youth apprenticeship and continue to apply it as you move forward.”

Both student speakers will be continuing their education paths in the fields they worked in during their youth apprenticeships.

Sheboygan area youth apprentices, recognized by their high school:

Cedar Grove-Belgium
Madilynn Green, Wesley Katte, Daenen Knospe, Sage Vorpahl

Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah
Benjamin Broaddus, Parker Hersey, Dylan Kissinger, Bryce Sitko

Homeschool
Zane Mueller, McGwire Rigas, Jonah Voskuil, Tavian Weiley

Howards Grove
Nicholas Koenig, Douglas Luebke, Justin Miller, Amber DeAmico, Dalton Free, Connor Lubenow, Kennedy Theobald

Kiel
Nicole Brandt, Macy Kraus, Ethan Ninneman, Kendra Preissner, Dakota Reiss, Justin Sabel, Austin Strains, Nathaniel Wedge

Kohler
Zachary Jarentowski, Adam Multer

New Holstein
Collin Hau

Oostburg
Michael Beseler, Taygan Brusse, Chase Dulmes, Alex Harmeling, Elijah Stader, Kyle Steindl, Aaron Wade, Molly Westerbeke

Plymouth
Stefan Allman, Garett Cudworth, Joshua Harrison, Dustin Krupp, Paul McCreedy, Luke McKinch, Reilly McMullen, Nathan Ninnemann, Samuel Nytes, Matthew Pohl, Walker Saladini, Benjamin Schleh, Luke Schultz, Esther Seely, Gabriel Thull, Logan Velier

Random Lake
Eli Bichler, Alexandra Gilley, Donald Singer, Kellcie Ten Haken, Hayley Thomas

Sheboygan Christian
Amy Scheidt, Trevor Wisse

Sheboygan Falls
Ethan Gruenke, Derek Kaat, Raymond Kulow, Dakota Machtig, Austun Perl, Arissa Scott, Jacob Strojny

Sheboygan Lutheran
Lance Bolden, Asha Edgerle, Stephen Goodhart, Robert Holland, Carly Lederer, Kalee Muth

Sheboygan North
Dylan Barutha, Sydney DeVriend, Kalisha Hang, Caitlin Last, Amy Lee, Julia Schetter, Justin Swigert, Alexander Vogel, Favre Wimmer, Kiana Yang

Sheboygan South
Andrew Blish, Travis Enders, Nicholas Gamez, Hailee Kerber, Kenshin Kue, Cade Livermore, Anna Opgenorth, Alexandra Vang, Ashley Yang

Warriner
Kaylee Richter, Miles Tittle

Sheboygan North High School 2019 graduate and LTC student speaker Justin Swigert encouraged youth apprentices to spread the word about the program.

Sheboygan South High School 2019 graduate and LTC student speaker Nicholas Gamez spoke about how he managed his time while in the program.

Youth apprentice graduation guest speaker Brett Loebel, Kohler Company, encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities going forward.