WPPA Awards Scholarships To 14 Wisconsin Students

This is the seventeenth year of the WPPA Scholarship Program. A total of $10,000 was awarded to 14 students who plan to enter the field of law enforcement. The students were chosen from 139 applications.

Jason Lee Punke
            Jason is a senior at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire majoring in Criminal Justice. This is the fourth year that WPPA has awarded a scholarship to Jason, who graduated in 2003 from Marshfield Senior High School. Jason obtained an Associate Degree from UW – Wood County before transferring to Eau Claire. He is employed at the Eau Claire Academy and works with emotionally disturbed youth with extensive criminal backgrounds. Jason will begin Recruit School at Northcentral Technical College in August 2006.

Timothy Stoltenow
            Timothy graduated June 2 from Shawano Community High School. He has been accepted in the Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, where he will begin classes in August 2006. Tim’s goal is to be a liaison officer in a middle or high school where he can make a difference in some child’s life.

Rebecca Rydzenski
            Rebecca is a student at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. She graduated in June 2002 from the Kenosha Military Academy, and presently is employed at the Village of Sturtevant Police Department as a Public Safety Dispatcher.

Jesse Henning
            Jesse graduated May 26 from Barron High School. As a high school senior, Jesse has taken classes in Criminal Justice at WITC in Rice Lake. He was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in 2005, and has over 200 hours of ride-along experience with the Barron Police Department.

Cody Wetterau
            Cody graduated June 4 from Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids. He plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, a detective for the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department, and his brother, who majors in Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. Cody has volunteered for Special Olympics Wisconsin as a participant in the Law Enforcement Torch Run® and the annual Polar Plunge to raise awareness for Special Olympics athletes.

Lauren Lehr
            Lauren is a 2005 graduate of Appleton West High School. She attends the University of Wisconsin – Platteville with majors in Criminal Justice and Psychology. This is the second year that WPPA has awarded a scholarship to Lauren, who plans to become a police liaison officer specializing in adolescent abuse.

Ashley Kolstad
            Ashley graduated June 4 from Southern Door High School in Brussels, Wisconsin. She was an honor student all four years of high school. Ashley plans to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather and grandmother, both of whom are deputies with the Door County Sheriff’s Office. She has been accepted into the Law Enforcement program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College – Green Bay.

Ashley Jakowski
            Ashley graduated May 28 from Onalaska High School. She will follow in the footsteps of her father, a police officer with the City of Onalaska for 20 years, and attend the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Spanish.

Nathan Matthews
            Nathan graduated June 2 from Reedsburg Area High School. An honor student with perfect attendance in school since the eighth grade, Nathan plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a Sauk County deputy sheriff. He will attend the University of Wisconsin – Baraboo this fall and major in Criminal Justice.

Kasie Netko
            Kasie graduated in June from Slinger High School. A national honor student who wishes to follow in the footsteps of her police officer father, Kasie has volunteered at the West Bend Police Department’s Family Safety and Bike Jamboree Day and the American Cancer Relay for Life. In 2004, she attended the FBI Youth Leadership Program in Quantico, Virginia.

William Haack
            William graduated June 4 from Middleton High School. A member of the National Honor Society, William has participated in ride-alongs with the Middleton Police Department. He will attend the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire this fall with a major in Criminal Justice.

Melissa Sprangers
            Melissa graduated May 31 from Kaukauna High School. An honor student, Melissa has volunteered as a tutor at the Middle School. Her community involvement includes the Key Club, Leo Club, and volunteering for Special Olympics. She has also participated in ride-alongs with the Kaukauna Police Department. Melissa plans to major in Criminal Justice.

Shawn Glasel
            Shawn graduated May 27 from Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton. An honor student, Shawn has been a member of the Student Council all four years of his high school career, serving on the Executive Committee in his senior year. Shawn plans to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a police officer, and will major in Criminal Justice in college.

Bryan Wright
            Bryan is a 2004 graduate of Shawano Community High School. Bryan’s community involvement includes working with the Restorative Justice Project, a program that works to build community in schools to prevent conflicts from arising. This is the second year that the WPPA has awarded a scholarship to Bryan, who attends the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and is working toward a degree in Criminal Justice.