Clear, 30° F
Jacob Wells first attended Northwest College nearly a decade ago on a wrestling scholarship.
Then, for about two years, I was kind of a little bit bored,” he said. “So I wanted …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
The Powell Tribune has expanded its online content. To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free web account by clicking here.
If you already have a web account, but need to reset it, you can do so by clicking here.
If you would like to purchase a subscription click here.
Please log in to continue |
|
Jacob Wells first attended Northwest College nearly a decade ago on a wrestling scholarship.
Then, for about two years, I was kind of a little bit bored,” he said. “So I wanted something more exciting in my life. So I decided to join the U.S. military and go into the U.S. Army.”
After finishing his service in the Army, the Encampment native returned to NWC in the spring of 2022 to continue his education, fulfilling a promise he had made seven years earlier.
He’s made the most of it, as he soon realized he’d be able to continue on for the new bachelors in criminal justice. He’s now working on that goal and has embraced the community — he’s now the vice president of the NWC Criminal Justice Club and assists with fundraising and membership efforts.
All that work didn’t go unnoticed. Wells was one of eight Wyoming community college students recently selected as the winners of this year’s Shaping Wyoming’s Future Award. The award, presented by the Wyoming Business Alliance, recognizes one student from each of the state’s community colleges for the ways they’ve transformed their lives through the Wyoming community colleges system, and how their efforts and participation in their communities are shaping the state’s future.
The group of award winners will be honored by the Alliance in a private reception on Feb. 12, before being recognized during the Joint Legislative Session the next day in Cheyenne. Each student will also receive a scholarship award on behalf of the WBA.
Wells also works part-time as a member of the campus security team, assists the faculty in firearms classes and regularly represents the college at law enforcement functions. He often serves as a mentor for other students in the NWC criminal justice program and is known for his calm and relaxing demeanor, exhibiting all the qualities a community seeks in a law enforcement officer. He is already being recruited by several agencies as he works toward his bachelor’s degree, which he is expected to complete in the spring of 2025.
President Lisa Watson said his work on campus has been a help to the college, and surmised his security work has allowed him to see a wider variety of situations and how to deal with them.
“So thank you, Jacob, we’re excited you were selected,” she said. “And congratulations.”
Wells already has a bead on how he’s going to use his NWC training and degree — he’s eying the U.S. Marshals.
