FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2015, 3:00 p.m. CDT
Contact: Rebecca Johnson, Peru State College Marketing, and Communications, 402.872.2409
Peru State Grad Named NSEA Rookie of the Year
Peru, Nebraska - Devin Garcia, a 2013 Peru State College graduate, has been named the 2015 Nebraska
State Education Association (NSEA) Rookie Teacher of the Year. Consideration for
this award, presented annually to a first-year teacher, is through a statewide nomination
process.
A Diller, NE native, Garcia graduated with a degree in Biology Education and Chemistry
Education. He currently teaches science for the Lewiston Consolidated Schools. When
asked how he chose teaching as a career, Garcia said, “I knew I wanted to get into
teaching after my second year at PSC. I joined PSEA and the Student Education Association
of Nebraska through the NSEA. After becoming active in those programs and working
with the National Education Association Student Program out of Washington, D.C., I
knew that teaching was going to be my occupation after college.”
Dr. Judith Ruskamp, associate professor of education and PSEA advisor said, “Devin
Garcia is another excellent example of the Peru State College School of Education’s
concerted effort to develop exemplary educators.” She went on to add, “The consistent
emphasis on the development of teachers who become difference-makers and have a positive
impact on their students, in their schools, and in the community is what ensures that
a Peru State College teacher candidate is well-prepared, committed to the field of
education, and have the potential to be leaders. Mr. Garcia’s NSEA Rookie of the Year
Award is a well-deserved honor.”
In addition to his teaching, Garcia is also the Quiz Bowl sponsor, junior class sponsor,
head golf coach, assistant football coach and assistant girls’ basketball coach at
Lewiston and serves on the school district’s technology committee.
For more information, visit www.peru.edu or call 1-800-742-4412.
About Peru State College: Peru State’s “Campus of a Thousand Oaks,” an arboretum, is nestled in historic southeast Nebraska. The state’s first college, Peru State offers a unique mix of innovative online and traditional classroom undergraduate and graduate programs, including online graduate degrees in education and organizational management. It is a college of choice fostering excellence and student achievement through engagement in a culture that promotes inquiry, discovery and innovation.