Do Great Things Initiative honors technical education scholars, university scholarships

GREEN BAY – Six Green Bay West High School students have earned the opportunity of a lifetime and were celebrated at a signing day ceremony at West High on Tuesday, May 12.

This May marks the fifth year of the Do Great Things scholarship celebration.

Since May 2022, the DGTI has awarded nine scholarships to Marquette University, four to UW-Green Bay and two $5,000 grants.

The mission of the Do Great Things Initiative (DGTI) is to encourage and assist West High School students to become college-ready, understand the financial aid available to them and secure the funding to alleviate their financial gap burden.

Jim Ryan, a 1985 graduate of Green Bay West High School, and his wife, Tracy, have set up two scholarships with their alma mater, Marquette University, and one scholarship with UW-Green Bay.

These scholarships are awarded annually by the admissions staff at Marquette and UW-Green Bay to three students from Green Bay West High School.

Gary Wiessinger, a 1989 graduate of West High School, and his wife, Hillary, established The Wiessinger Family NWTC Scholarships, awarding two students annually to attend Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

The goal is to offer a variety of scholarships to hardworking students at Green Bay West High School, who are ready to make their dream of attending post-secondary education possible.

This year the following West High School students will be celebrated at the May 12 ceremony for receiving the following scholarships and grants:

2026 Do Great Things Scholarship at Marquette University: Andy Arauz and Tai VanRemortel

2026 Do Great Things Scholarship at UW-Green Bay: Jonathan Garcia-Sebastian

2026 Do Great Things Scholarship at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College: Najee Yang and Kendra Vang

2026 Do Great Things $5,000 Grant: Adriana Flores Torres
The total financial commitment invested in the students at West High School is almost $6 million dollars:

$5,250,000 endowed scholarships at Marquette University, including an experimental learning fund, allowing students to become involved at the university and not worry about the costs. This can be travel abroad experiences, club membership fees or additional courses.

$60,000 donation to UW-Green Bay, to allow one annual scholarship.

$500,000 commitment to NWTC to allow two students an annual scholarship, beginning in 2026.

$86,175 spent to date on programming at the high school level to enhance students’ learning opportunities and better prepare them for after high school. This amount also includes $10,000 in grant money awarded to date.