Despite pandemic, area students graduate with college degrees

College students are still receiving their post-secondary diplomas even though ceremonies are postponed or moved to a virtual format due to COVID-19.
Many have received college degrees with ties to Chase County. Here are some of them:
Adelaide Ann Maxwell
Adelaide Maxwell received her Associate of Arts degree from Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) in North Platte.
Maxwell is a 2019 Chase County Schools (CCS) graduate and is the daughter of Matt and Rachel Maxwell of Imperial.
Maxwell will continue her education at the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) to study elementary education.
Bryce Zuege
Bryce Zuege received his Associate of Science degree from MPCC.
Zuege is the son of Carl and Chelsea Zuege of Imperial, and graduated from CCS in 2018.
He plans to attend UNK in the fall to pursue a degree in computer science.
Jordan Haarberg
Jordan (Gibb) Haarberg graduated from UNK with a Masters of Science in Education with a focus on secondary school counseling.
Haarberg is a 2013 CCS graduate. She is married to Ethan Haarberg and is the daughter of Jamie Gibb and Denise Gibb.
Haarberg has accepted a position as a high school counselor and alternative education teacher at Cozad Community Schools, where she will start in August.
Sara Jane German
Sara German graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska Medical Center as a Doctor of Medicine.
She is the daughter of Linda German and the late Scot German and was a 2007 graduate of CCS.
German was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, which demonstrates outstanding interpersonal skills, compassion, empathy, respect, integrity, exceptional commitment to service, as well as leadership.
She has been accepted into the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Family Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.
Sonya Ourada-Schilke
Sonya Schilke graduated magna cum laude with her Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Chadron State College.
Schilke and her husband Ken have two children.
She’s been a substitute teacher and para at CCS since 2010.
Schilke has accepted a position at CCS as a middle school language arts teacher and is planning to pursue her master’s degree in education.
Thomas Sullivan
Tom Sullivan, a 2011 CCS graduate, received his Masters in biology from UNK.
Previously, Sullivan received his Bachelor’s in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently teaching science at Westridge Middle School in Grand Island.
He is the son of Bill and Marianne Sullivan of Imperial.
He plans to continue teaching and coaching, hopefully at a higher level.
He hopes to go further in his education, with a goal of working for NASA.
Nicki Boardman
Nicole (Gaswick) Boardman received her doctorate in mathematics from Oklahoma State University (OSU).
Boardman is a 2007 CCS graduate and is the daughter of Doug and Judy Gaswick of Imperial. She and husband, Todd, live in Stillwater, Oklahoma
She is hoping to find a position at OSU to teach math.