The Candice E. Tylke Scholarship is a $1,500 annual award for students in the Fire and Emergency Response Management (FERM) program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. First priority is given to female applicants. The two-year program, which incorporates online and classroom instruction, provides fire and emergency personnel with leadership and administrative skills necessary to advance their careers and lead public health and safety organizations. Participants must have completed an associate degree in fire protection, fire science, paramedic technician or emergency management.
UW Oshkosh is the only university in Wisconsin to offer this bachelor's degree program. The first six FERM graduates received their degrees in the December 2008 commencement ceremony.
Cindy Brun, FERM program coordinator, said the ages and levels of experience vary greatly among program participants. There are 19 year-olds who have yet to find their first job, as well as students with several decades of work experience. Brun hopes that the scholarship will attract more female students to the program. Currently only one woman is enrolled among the program's 20 students.
The low representation of females is typical, according to A National Report Card of Women in Firefighting, published in April 2008, which states: "Among the 350,000 paid firefighters in the nation today, the 2000 Census reports that women number slightly more than 11,000, or 3.7 percent."
The report suggests measures to increase that percentage such as "making women firefighters increasingly visible as role models," "actively suggesting the career to girls and young women" and encouraging young women's "participation in pre-career activities such as … cadet programs."
Tylke's estate gift will help in this capacity by supporting the creation and operation of GO! (Gals Only) Fire Science Camp. UW Oshkosh has offered co-ed summer camps since 2004 for young people, ages 15-20, who are interested in fire science. The camps are held on the UW Oshkosh campus with off-campus field experiences, and provide an opportunity to explore careers in fire and emergency response services.
Outreach Program Manager Jenni Bugni-Walsh, who coordinates the camps with Brun, said, "Starting a female-only program has been a dream of the planning committee since we began the first co-ed camp in 2004. One of our major program goals is to expose more young women to nontraditional fire science-related careers."
Bugni-Walsh has enlisted female firefighters and paramedics from around the state to lead the camp and speak about the challenges of being a female in a predominantly male profession. Bugni-Walsh has researched similar camps on the East and West Coasts, but has not discovered other female-only camps of this nature in the Midwest. Tylke's gift will help minimize participant costs and assist with outreach and promotional costs involved in the program.
]]>Finding a cause to give to that aligned with her late cousin's wishes and interests was easy for Mary Ellis.
"She was always very motivated and dedicated professionally and I think that came from her time at UW Oshkosh" said Ellis of her cousin Candice E. Tylke. "She always spoke highly of her time (at UW Oshkosh)."
With her cousin's passions at heart, a scholarship was established in 2008 in memory of Tylke, a UW Oshkosh alumna who graduated with a B.S. in biology from the College of Letters and Science in 1994 and a veteran fire fighter and paramedic. The scholarship funds students in the Fire and Emergency Response Management (FERM) program at UW Oshkosh.
Learn more about the scholarship and Candice's legacy…
]]>Tara, '93, '98, warmly recalls riding on the back of her father's bike on campus when he was a student at UW Oshkosh. She attended day care at the Newman Center, a campus ministry that helps students develop a faith that is the center of their lives. And she still remembers people cheering during Winter Carnival and her wide-eyed excitement when her tricycle was used during the competition.
Following in her father's footsteps, it seemed natural for Tara to enroll at UW Oshkosh. By then, the family had moved to Wausau. UW Oshkosh was far enough away from home yet close enough to family.
She loved learning and applying knowledge. She thrived while student teaching because she could build on the solid foundation she gained, take charge and move to the next level.
As president of the Student Council for Exceptional Children, Tara used her marketing skills gained at UW Oshkosh to create fundraising activities and foster awareness for special education. She remembers trips taken with the Ski Heilers Club and the lifelong friends she made at UW Oshkosh.
Tara was named outstanding senior and outstanding senior in special education. She graduated with a bachelor's in special education in 1993. She returned to campus and earned a master's degree in educational leadership in 1998.
The Newman Center continued to play an important role in Tara's life. As a student, it became the source of her spiritual ministry. She was inspired by the leadership of Rev. Jeff Vanden Heuvel, who later conducted the marriage ceremony of Tara and her husband, Scott.
Enlightened and inspired by the Christian values she embraced at UW Oshkosh, Tara incorporated them into her life and passed them onto her children, Carter, Spencer and Sydney. Further, she integrated them into her profession of teaching autistic children and service through mission work.
Tara is grateful for her UW Oshkosh experiences. She recognizes that others gave gifts to further her education. Based on her belief of giving back, it was natural for her to create a bequest in her will to her alma mater.
Her estate gift will provide scholarships to special education students and benefit the UW Oshkosh Alumni Association, of which she was a board member from 1993 to 2000.
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