Two Ridgewater students named to All-State Academic Team
January 31, 2023
Ridgewater College students Lizza Dinndorf and Zoey Lovold have been nominated and will represent Ridgewater on the 2022-2023 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) National Honor Society All-Minnesota Academic Team.
The All-Minnesota Academic Team program provides the opportunity to showcase and celebrate some of the state’s highest-achieving college students in associate degree and certificate programs, considering classroom academic excellence and rigor, plus community service and leadership.
Dinndorf of Hutchinson (formerly of St. Cloud) is a part-time Legal Assistant student. Spicer’s Lovold is a Liberal Arts and Sciences Post-secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student with plans for a veterinary career. The two students will now be considered in the competitive process for the All-USA Academic Team.
“It is really cool,” Dinndorf said of being one of Ridgewater’s nominations. “It means that my effort has been recognized, and that means a lot to me.” Dinndorf is a part-time, second-year student who works full time and volunteers at the Heart of Minnesota Animal Shelter when she can.
Lovold said the honor means a great deal to her as well. “I plan to transfer and continue my education at the University of Minnesota in Morris after Ridgewater in pursuit of a degree in veterinary medicine. I think that this honor could bring me one step closer to my goals.” Lovold participates in community service activities such as fundraisers, providing meals for people at her church, and chemistry tutoring for student peers.
“Opportunities like this can be quite inspiring for students,” said Dr. Bradley Wolfe, Ridgewater PTK advisor.
“Lizza is a very dedicated student and her work is excellent,” said Colleen Norgren, Dinndorf’s Legal Assistant instructor. “She is an inquisitive student and adds valuable discussion and information to the Legal Assistant classes. Lizza will make an excellent employee at a local law firm or government agency!”
“It is quite an accomplishment for Zoey to successfully complete her own college courses as a PSEO student and to tutor other students, helping them be successful in their courses,” said Audrey VanBeck, Lovold’s Ridgewater tutoring supervisor. It’s an opportunity to combine academic excellence, leadership and service. “She has done a marvelous job helping students with chemistry and will also be tutoring English and Introduction to Psychology this semester. She is knowledgeable, dependable, patient, and so kind…. We are fortunate to have Zoey as a tutoring resource.”
Minnesota is one of 38 All-State Academic Team programs, sponsored by Cengage, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the American Association of Community Colleges, and Phi Theta Kappa.
Minimum requirements include being enrolled in a minimum of six semester credit hours, having completed 36 credits, having a minimum 3.5 grade point average on a 4-point scale, being on track to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree, living in the country, and possessing clean student and criminal records.
All-Minnesota Academic Team members will be honored during a special ceremony this spring, tentatively set for March 24 at the Como Park Rainforest Auditorium, where they will receive a medallion and certificate.
All-State recognition and nomination to the All-USA Academic Team national program means Lovold and Dinndorf will be considered for PTK scholarship opportunities for which they would otherwise not have access.