Lake Area Tech Student and Instructor Selected for National Awards
WATERTOWN, SD – Dr. Sandra Krebsbach, Executive Director of the American Technical Education Association (ATEA), announced this week that two of ATEA’s national award recipients are from Lake Area Technical College. The awards were presented during ATEA’s Annual National Conference held virtually April 27-29.
The ATEA National Awards Panel selected second-year Aviation Maintenance Technology student Ian Radach of Watertown the 2021 Outstanding Technical Education Student of the Year. The recipient of the award must be a full-time student in a post-secondary technical education program. The student must be very strong academically and show potential in his/her chosen technical field and must be a student at a school with active institutional membership in ATEA.
Ian’s nomination included letters of endorsement which included this excerpt, “Along with being a full-time student, Ian also supports his wife and two beautiful children. After spending seven hours at school each day he does not get to go home and relax with friends or go to the gym. He goes to his job and works late into the night to make sure they have the best life possible. All of this is what makes Ian such a great candidate for this award. The fact that he can juggle everything that is going on in his life and still find time to spend with his children and provide them with everything they could ever need to thrive in life is remarkable.”
Lake Area Tech’s second award winner is also from the Aviation Program. Aviation Maintenance Technology Department Supervisor Greg Klein was named the ATEA 2021 Outstanding Technical Teacher of the Year. Greg’s tenure began as a graduate of the Lake Area Tech Aviation Maintenance program and, for the last 26 years, as an instructor and Department Supervisor. The award is presented to a full-time postsecondary technical education instructor whose performance and contributions are exceptional. Innovative teaching strategies must be apparent and involvement with business and industry is essential.
Greg’s nomination also included letters of endorsement and included this excerpt, “Greg is an excellent educator and a fantastic person. His knowledge in the education realm, and his commitment and dedication are fine examples of this. He is positive, professional and has a tremendous work ethic. Greg is always willing to go the extra mile for everyone and genuinely cares about all students and staff. Greg possesses strong organizational, communication and leadership skills. He is dependable, conscientious, and a team player. Greg is a self-starter and very task oriented. You can rely on him to carry out his responsibilities with enthusiasm and great attention to detail. He is amazing!”
Nomination forms are submitted by the nominees’ peers and are reviewed and awarded by the National Awards Committee comprised of Sue Smith, President of ATEA and VP of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Applied Sciences; Dr. Shawn Mackey, Executive Deputy for Accountability for Mississippi Community College Board; Dr. Betty Reynard, President of Lamar State College Port Arthur, Port Arthur, Texas; Chelle Travis, Executive Director of SkillsUSA; Adrian San Miguel, Director of Projects in Career and Technical Programs of the Idaho Department of Education and Chair of the ATEA National Awards Committee; and Brooks Jacobsen, Supervisor of Electronic Systems Technology and Robotics, Lake Area Technical College, Watertown, SD.
