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John Rickert of New Carlisle is presented with an enhanced Personal
Identity Shield by his Communications
Instructor April Schmidlapp (L)
and Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson.
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Edison State Honors
Active Military Student with Presentation
With the Fourth of July approaching, it’s an especially important time
to recognize the sacrifices made by the men and women who’ve helped to
preserve freedoms enjoyed today.
One Edison State Community College class did just that. Students in
April Schmidlapp’s Fundamentals of Communications class, consisting of
a diverse student population that includes four veterans, came together
to turn one classmate’s disappointment into a positive experience.
“Interpersonal communication is a skill set taught in the course, and
my students have been very engaged demonstrating significant bonding
and self-disclosure,” said Edison State Instructor April Schmidlapp.
“One student, who has demonstrated significant life experience,
particularly in the military, disclosed that not only had he been in
Iraq and Afghanistan on active duty, he also was a prison guard at
Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba.”
Since his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, John Rickert of New Carlisle
completed Edison State’s Basic Peace Officer Academy in 2014. Rickert
is currently a police officer in Arcanum, and working towards a
Criminal Justice degree at Edison State while also continuing to serve
as an active military reservist.
It was during a class exercise when Rickert was presenting his Personal
Identity Shield, a contemporary version of a family crest, when he
remarked that had the instructor brought a gold colored marker to class
instead of all the regular blue, green, black, and red markers, he
could have drawn a bright gold badge on his shield to represent his
police work.
“John had military duty one day so he couldn’t be in class; I asked the
other students how we could turn John’s disappointment into a positive
exercise in raising self-esteem, a topic covered in the course,” said
Schmidlapp.
“Everybody was in full agreement to embrace the idea offered: create a
replica of the Personal Identity Shield he presented to the class, but
enhance it with a bright gold police badge and handwritten notes
thanking him for his 18 years of service and counting.”
On Tuesday, June 27 in front of classmates, faculty, and staff, Rickert
was presented with an enhanced Personal Identity Shield adorned with
notes of recognition from his classmates and a bright gold badge.
“I was not expecting this, kind of like when they [the military] called
me up and said you’re going to GTMO,” said Rickert. “To my fellow
students, thank you so much for your expressed gratitude. I thank you
all for the acknowledgment.”
Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson expressed gratitude for
students like Rickert noting, “This was an excellent opportunity to
honor and thank one of the many students at Edison State who have
served our country through military service. John Rickert’s classmates
and instructor April Schmidlapp took steps to highlight John’s story to
the campus. I am grateful for the special opportunity to demonstrate
our support for our veterans and reservists in a very meaningful way.”
Edison State recognizes the tremendous contribution that veterans and
reservists make as citizens and students, and appreciates of the level
of diversity, experience, and academic excellence they bring to campus.
The College’s Office of Veterans Services provides veterans with a
single point of contact for academic, referral, and personal support
services to help ease access to higher education, foster success, and
build community.
For more information regarding the veteran services available at Edison
State Community College, visit www.edisonohio.edu/Veterans.
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John Rickert poses with classmates following a special presentation.
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