NICC student Peyton Luehmann named All-USA Academic Team member and a New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar
Monday, March 4, 2024
The scholarships awarded to Luehmann mark the second consecutive year a Northeast Iowa Community College student has received the two honors.
CALMAR & PEOSTA, Iowa—Northeast Iowa Community College student Peyton Luehmann has received two of the nation’s top scholarships recognizing outstanding academic achievement among college students.
Luehmann received the honors at the Phi Theta Kappa All Iowa Academic Team annual banquet on Feb. 26 in Des Moines. He is enrolled in the Dairy Science Technology - Associate of Applied Science and Animal Science certificate programs at the College’s Calmar campus.
Luehmann was named to the USA TODAY’s All-USA Academic Team, one of only 20 students recognized nationally and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students attending associate’s degree-granting institutions. All-USA Academic Team members were selected for outstanding intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement.
Luehmann was also named a 2024 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar and will receive an additional $1,250 scholarship. New Century Workforce Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, service and significant endeavors. More than 2,400 students from more than 1,200 college campuses nationwide were nominated. Only one New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar is selected from each state. Luehmann earned the highest qualifying score in Iowa.
The scholarships awarded to Luehmann mark the second consecutive year a Northeast Iowa Community College student has received the two honors. Maren Larsen, an NICC Computer Science and Security graduate, was honored in 2023. The honors are a testament to the excellent workforce preparation and career and technical skill training provided to students at community colleges such as NICC. Low cost, reduced tuition debt and workforce-relevant programming create substantial return on investment for NICC students and graduates beginning their careers.
A native of Lewiston, Minn., Luehmann plans to assume management of his family’s 300-herd dairy cow farm to expand the herd and increase the health and well-being of the livestock. He is currently involved in the National Professional Agricultural Student Organization (PAS), where he competed as a team member at state and national PAS competitions. He is in his second year as a member of Phi Theta Kappa and currently serves as the campus chapter president.
Luehmann credits his membership and service in Phi Theta Kappa for the scholarship honors and statewide recognition.
“Phi Theta Kappa is important to both me and my classmates because it allows us to learn valuable leadership skills in a low-consequence environment, with the potential for wonderful connections and relationships and scholarship opportunities such as these. Our chapter has become, to me, a group of friends. It is an earnest, robust group of people who truly desire each other to succeed,” he said. “I am very humbled to receive these two scholarships.”
After Luehmann completes his education at NICC in May, he is eager to return to the family farm to apply his knowledge. He is deeply invested in a lifelong commitment to the agricultural field.
“Agriculture is a very demanding industry requiring a commitment and intensity not often seen today. I enjoy continually striving for better, and the dairy industry is the perfect application for this energy. I also believe that a dairy farm is the greatest place for a child to grow up. I want my family raised in this industry,” Luehmann said.
At the Feb. 26 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society banquet, all four NICC student members of the All-Iowa Academic Team were recognized. Other students include Addison Chapman, an Associate of Science student from the Calmar campus; Elliot Naughton and Nicholas Schreyer, both Engineering Technology students at the Peosta campus.
NICC Acting President David Dahms praised Luehmann for his academic achievements, leadership, service and commitment to Phi Theta Kappa.
“Northeast Iowa Community College is very proud of Peyton and the honors he has received from Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. He is a true leader on campus and a dedicated student who is fully invested in the success of his peers. He is poised to contribute greatly to the dairy industry and agriculture,” Dahms said. “I also want to congratulate all the student members of this year’s All Iowa Academic Team.”
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Learn more at ptk.org.
The All-USA Academic Team is sponsored by Follett Higher Education Group, with additional support provided by Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
The New Century Program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and AACC. The New Century Workforce Pathway Scholars and All-USA Academic Team will be recognized at the Phi Theta Kappa’s President's Breakfast held during the AACC Convention on April 8, 2024.