Monday, March 27, 2023
Bryce Tellinghusen
By Gerry McCray, North Idaho College
Life can be difficult to predict. Sometimes a path looks clearly defined and laid out, but in an instant, that path can veer in an unforeseen direction.
The twists and turns of life can be difficult to navigate, but two North Idaho College students may have found exactly where they want to go – and got a boost of support from international honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) in the process.
Bryce Tellinghusen of Spokane received the 2023 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship, and Kasia Lagace of Athol was named a 2023 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar.
Tellinghusen came to NIC in Fall 2021 to join the wrestling program, but a hit-and-run collision left him with a torn labral in his shoulder and ended his collegiate wrestling career just weeks before it started.
Despite athletics no longer being an option, Tellinghusen decided to continue his education at NIC in the Autobody and Paint Technology program. After completing the program, Tellinghusen enrolled in the Business program to try to gain the skills necessary to open his own autobody shop in the future.
“I really love NIC,” Tellinghusen said. “The environment is just something that makes me feel at home regardless of the program I’ve been in.”
Tellinghusen, who is president of NIC’s PTK chapter, was selected for the $1,250 award was based on his score in the All-USA Academic Team Competition, where he scored the highest in Idaho.
Tellinghusen, who also took fifth place in the collision repair competition at the 2022 National SkillsUSA competition, said some businesses have already started calling him, wanting to see when he’ll start looking for work. He credited hard work and NIC instructors for his success.
“Whatever program you are in, from my experience, the professors and instructors are just amazing,” Tellinghusen said. “My autobody instructor Cal DeHaas, I feel like I could text him if I broke down on my way home or I could just call him for anything, even if it has nothing to do with school. If I see him, he’s giving me a hug and he’s asking me how I’m doing. It definitely feels like more of a high school experience where the teachers really know you and care about what’s going on with your life.”
On top of his enrollment at NIC, Tellinghusen is an assistant wrestling coach at University High School in Spokane Valley and completed an apprenticeship at Caliber Collision in Coeur d’Alene.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Tellinghusen said. “If it wasn’t for wrestling, I wouldn’t be here. If it wasn’t for the injury, I wouldn’t be coaching, which I love.”
Lagace, an NIC nursing student, received a 2023 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar scholarship for her score in the All-USA Academic Team competition. She said her life has had twists and turns but that she thinks she has ended up where she was supposed to go.
Lagace started her education at NIC through dual-credit programs and graduated with an associate degree in general studies. After living in Egypt for two years as part of the Christian nonprofit organization called Youth with a Mission, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to return home.
While living abroad, the Athol native said she had a counselor that helped her develop her career goals of becoming a nurse or a therapeutic counselor.
“She was a huge inspiration to me that kind of opened my eyes,” Lagace said. “I think she and my time (in Egypt) sparked my ‘this is the direction I want my life to go.’”
Lagace said she hopes to transfer to Lewis-Clark State College after she graduates from NIC with her associate in nursing degree. Lagace said that working 20 hours a week while attending nursing school is difficult, so the $1,000 scholarship will help her goal of getting through school debt-free.
“I’ve known a lot of people that have gone through the nursing program at NIC, and I think it has this reputation of being super cutthroat,” Lagace said. “So I was expecting professors to be super ‘you’re on your own,’ but the professors are actually phenomenal and have our backs.”
Lagace said she knew she wanted to become a nurse from a young age and science courses were always her favorite. She said her time at NIC has exceeded her expectations and she is excited to see where the future takes her.
“For me, NIC has been a phenomenal place to be educated,” Lagace said. “Throughout my entire journey, all my professors have been extremely supportive. I’ve loved my years here, and even being in my fifth year, each professor and each class I’ve taken has helped me toward where I want to go. I can see how my classes are training and equipping me to go into the field I want to go into.”
For more information, contact Phi Theta Kappa Staff Advisor Amber Hasz at (208) 769-3400 or Amber.Hasz@nic.edu.