A small-town school might have troubles getting in students that aren’t raised in the area and gone through the system, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue for Wayne.  

Wayne State College hosted a Transfer Student Dinner, sponsored by administrations department and their transfer ambassadors, and while the number of students might that attended might not look great, the message that those students carry still exists. 

Blake Bartling is a senior in his second year at WSC, and is a transfer from Northeast Community College. He is a communications studies major with a minor in business.  

What drove Bartling to WSC was the small campus feeling, the tightknit community, how accepting they were with his past classes. Bartling was shocked at how welcoming everyone was, with him being a transfer student and not going through the chain of classes through his earlier years, he was still able to be welcomed. 

Edgar Munoz is a senior in his third year at WSC and is a transfer from Creighton University. Munoz is a political science major with a Spanish and prelaw minor.  

Munoz chose WSC because he preferred WSC’s programs over Creighton’s, Wayne is more affordable, closer to home, and he really liked the campus. One thing that that Munoz was really shocked about was how everyone “tried to understand you” from the students to the staff. 

Abagail Mason is a junior in her second year at WSC and is a transfer from Lindenwood University as a health and physical education major. She was unhappy at her first school and wanted to be closer to home. Once at WSC, Mason said she “was meant to be here.” She really liked the close community feel that the campus had, she liked just how easy it was to be involved, the school made her feel important. 

Britney Kreihemeier is a junior in her first year at WSC and is a transfer from Northeast Community College. She is a family and consumer science education major. She was drawn to WSC for their education program on campus, with Benthak Hall being a huge selling point for her. She thought it was very easy to meet people, the classrooms were very social. She is currently a student ambassador for the NSEA (Nebraska State Education Association) Aspiring Educators.  

Melinda Winhold is a film media major and a nontraditional student. She was drawn to WSC, her third go at college, for its transferability, low cost, and the fact that she was able to meet the department head one on one. Winhold really likes that the media program is hands on rather than just lecture.  

While each student comes from a different background, it shows what WSC has to offer. WSC attracts many different people for many varied reasons.  

Henry Goeden, assistant director of admissions, spoke on just how important transfer students are.  

“Through work with Wayne’s community college partnerships, WSC doesn’t forget about the forget the transfers, and we’re focusing on the experience,” Goeden said. “We help those students finish their degree here.” 

Transfer students are often a forgotten part of the student experience, and Wayne has shown that those kinds of students are still ones that need to be embraced just as any other student.