WAYNE, Neb. – Wayne State College announces that 48 students have been chosen for the highly selective Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) for Fall 2023.  

Students selected for the program come from rural Nebraska, know the unique needs of their community, and are dedicated and passionate about their home state and its rural health care needs. RHOP represents that commitment and prepares students to return to rural Nebraska and care for its citizens.  

“I’m excited to welcome this class of RHOP students,” said Dr. Ron Loggins, Dean of the School of Science, Health, and Criminal Justice at Wayne State. “Our RHOP scholars are among the most academically talented and dedicated students in Nebraska. Wayne State is proud to help prepare them for their careers in health care. At Wayne State, not only do students engage in a rigorous curriculum, but they also benefit from the close advising and mentoring our faculty and staff provide. We are confident that when students graduate from our science programs, they have a solid foundation and are prepared to succeed.”  

RHOP’s benefits include a full-tuition scholarship at Wayne State and guaranteed admission to UNMC. RHOP participants pursue their studies at WSC and UNMC, with the amount of time at each institution determined by the program in which they are enrolled. Students who apply for the program must be a rural Nebraska resident.  

RHOP participating fields include Dental Hygiene, Dentistry, Medical Lab Science, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy (new since Fall 2022), Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Radiography.  

Students selected for RHOP for Fall 2023:  

Dental Hygiene  

  • Cailey Faust of York  
  • Addisyn Wendte of Dakota City  
  • Casidy Wortman of Creighton  

Dentistry  

  • Jaxson Bernecker of Hartington  
  • Ava Borgman of Norfolk  
  • Brogan Foote of Wayne  
  • Paige Kossmann of Battle Creek  
  • Austin Mattson of Fremont  
  • Emery Obermiller-Snyder of Grand Island  
  • Scout Simmons of Amherst  

Medicine  

  • Michael Cohee of West Point  
  • Zackary Corey of Grand Island  
  • Carter Franzen of Fremont  
  • MaKenna King of Walthill  
  • Ellis Livingston of Gordon  
  • Carter Moss of Plattsmouth  
  • Kilee Thorell of Wausa  
  • Mason Timmerman of Norfolk  
  • Tyson Weber of Columbus  

Nursing  

  • Wyatt Ashburn of Wayne  
  • Taya Engel of Wolbach  
  • Brynn Grassmeyer of Kearney  
  • Paw Eh Htoo of Norfolk  
  • Lily Jessen of Bloomfield  
  • Rebecca Leader of Crofton  
  • Marli Stones of Crete  
  • Emily Wellman of Columbus 

Occupational Therapy  

  • Dakota Guthrie of North Platte  
  • Anslee Langrehr of Saint Libory  
  • Jacelyn Rutherford of Hordville  
  • Lillie Timm of Pender  

Pharmacy  

  • Ella Broekemeier of Osmond  
  • Garret Buschkamp of Crofton  
  • Jack Cooper of Hickman  
  • Ally Drahota of Madison  
  • Mikayla Hammers of Gretna  
  • Ella Johnson of Gretna  
  • Paul Littlefield of Surprise  
  • Sadie Ringlein of Kearney  

Physical Therapy

  • Rylan Boellstorff of Auburn  
  • Claire Ortgiesen of Wilcox  

Physician Assistant  

  • Taylor Anderson of Fullerton  
  • Erin Avery of Wayne  
  • Libni Roldan Perez of Norfolk  

Radiography  

  • Rylie Bonneau of Thurston  
  • Haley Hellwege of Boelus  
  • Sonja Schultz of Beemer  
  • Margaret Svec of David City  

Wayne State constantly explores new possibilities for health care partnerships in addition to RHOP to ensure students have a wide variety of fields from which to choose.  

“In the last few years, Wayne State created a new pathway to nursing with UNMC, a dual-degree nursing pathway with Creighton, an early admission program with Kansas City University for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Psychology programs, and many others,” Loggins said. “While the pandemic was raging, Wayne State stayed true to its mission and continued to serve the students of Nebraska. Together with our partners, we designed new, exciting curriculum and program pathways that will prepare students for current and future workforce challenges.”