Applied Learning Stories

After earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education, PreK–12, in fall 2023, Trajata Colbert returned to Wichita State in spring 2025 to complete her student teaching and earn her teaching license. During this final step in her preparation, she gained hands-on experience through an applied learning placement that took her to multiple schools. These rotations provided a variety of professional experiences and meaningful connections with students—solidifying her path as a fully licensed teacher after spring 2025.

Amrutha Dasyam is a Wichita State Ph.D. candidate majoring in aerospace engineering. Her research focuses on spacecraft trajectory design and planning using artificial intelligence at Wichita State’s Astronautics Laboratory . In 2021, she earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita S tate and stayed to pursue her doctorate through the postbaccalaureate plan of study. Now as a doctoral student, she focuses on her research in her graduate research assistant role.  

Zayden Tomson, a graphic design senior, currently interns with the Shocker Career Accelerator, where he creates promotional materials for student career resources and events. His professional design journey with the Shocker Career Accelerator began in Summer 2025, and since then, he’s been refining his skills while making a visible impact across campus.

This fall, Wichita State launched a new course designed specifically for students beginning their English degree. ENGL 198: English Career Seminar is an eight-week, one-credit-hour class that introduces students to the wide range of possibilities available to English majors and equips them with tools to begin shaping their academic and career pathways.

Janett Lerma-Reyes, a mechanical engineering sophomore and was an operations summer 2025 intern at Shuttlewagon. Shuttlewagon, a mobile railcar mover manufacturer, designs railcar movers for rail yards, industrial facilities, and ports. At the Kansas City location, Lerma-Reyes' work centers around Shuttlewagon’s assembly line processes, improving its efficiency, accuracy, and safety for workers.

Niki Noland is a spring 2025 Wichita State graduate who majored in studio art, concentrating in print media. Before leaving Wichita State and the College of Fine Arts, Noland directly impacted Wichita’s art scene, interning for the City of Wichita’s Arts and Cultural Services Department and Public Art Manager, Jana Erwin.

Emily Rueda is an Integrated Marketing Communication senior at Wichita State University. In the Spring 2025 semester, she experienced the behind-the-scenes aspects of social media marketing through an internship with the College of Fine Arts. Funded through WSU’s Applied Learning Fund, which provides paid, hands-on experiences in students' majors and future career fields.

Vivian Salazar is a junior at Wichita State majoring in mechanical engineering. On campus, Salazar is a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Engineering intern for The Smart Factory by Deloitte. At Deloitte, she supports the smart maintenance and repair facility by managing Industry 4.0 machinery.