WVC at Omak alumnus Adam Amundson nominated for award

Media Contacts: Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509.682.6436 (Mon. – Thurs.)

January 27, 2015

Adam Amundson at the Transforming Lives Award ceremony with his friend, Wanda Jameson, and his daughter, Shandara.

 

Wenatchee Valley College at Omak alumnus Adam Amundson was nominated for the Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT) Transforming Lives Award. Nominees attended a dinner and awards ceremony in Olympia on Jan. 24.

The ACT award recognizes current or former students whose lives have been transformed by attending a Washington state community or technical college.

Amundson, who is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, is studying at Eastern Washington University and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in urban/regional planning. He received an Eisenhower Fellowship Award in 2015 for his research on traffic safety issues on a highway in the Colville Indian Reservation.

Amundson encountered several barriers during his educational journey, including the deaths of two children, drug and alcohol addiction, and a car accident that left him in a coma for two weeks. He found support among fellow students, staff and tutors at WVC at Omak, where he received his associate of arts and science transfer degree.

“It was tough when I lost my two oldest children,” Amundson said. “Other students have asked me why I am still in school. They say they couldn’t do it if it happened to them. I ask myself at times why I never gave up on my schooling, but there is a greater purpose I serve by continuing my education.”

“It is my dream to hopefully come back to my home reservation and apply my knowledge to help fix the issues and work on making our roads safer,” he said.