PLHS graduate earns World Citizen Award

By Nancy Vogt

April 14, 2020 at 2:00 AM

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

Luke Funk, a Pequot Lakes High School graduate and a second-year nursing student at Minnesota State Community and Technical College's Wadena campus, has been awarded a $500 Mark M. Welter World Citizen Award scholarship.

Funk previously earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of North Dakota and ultimately hopes to become a nurse practitioner working in rural health care. He currently works for Northern Pines Mental Health Center in Staples.

The $500 Mark Welter World Citizen Award is a tribute to Minnesota State students who best exemplify the thoughts, words and actions demanded by citizens of an interconnected 21 ^st century world. Approximately 20 students are recognized from Minnesota State’s 30 two-year colleges and seven universities each year.

The award is sponsored by the Welter Family Foundation and the student advocacy group LeadMN.

By Nancy Vogt

Nancy Vogt is editor of the Pineandlakes Echo Journal, a weekly newspaper that covers eight communities in the Pequot Lakes-Pine River areas - from Nisswa to Hackensack and Pequot Lakes to Crosslake.

She started as editor of the Lake Country Echo in July 2006, and continued in that role when the Lake Country Echo and the Pine River Journal combined in September 2013 to become the Pineandlakes Echo Journal. She worked for the Brainerd Dispatch from 1992-2006 in various roles.

She covers Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Lake Shore and Crosslake city councils, as well as writes feature stories, news stories and personal columns (Vogt's Notes). She also takes photos at community events.

Contact her at nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com or 218-855-5877 with story ideas or questions. Be sure to leave a voicemail message!