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Rep. Dusty Johnson joined the 10th cohort of the Build Dakota Scholarship recipients at Lake Area Technical College (LATC) on Sept. 5 for a meet-and-greet luncheon and a keynote speech.
The program, which is celebrating its 10th year, gives students a full ride to college—given their chosen field of study is in a designated “high-need” area—in order to produce high-quality skilled labor for the state.
The 10th class consists of 146 students and their community partners in fields such as healthcare/public service (74 scholarships), automotive trades (37), building trades and construction (16), welding (9), and precision manufacturing (8) among others. The program carries the stipulation that recipients must fulfill a three-year work commitment after graduating within the state.
Thirty-five hundred students have applied for the program thus far and 1,100 awards have been made.
On his latest Codington-area swing, Rep. Johnson also visited Hamlin High School, Dakota Bodies, and Harmony Hill for a townhall with their residents.
