From Wyoming With Love – Part 2

Meet UW Trustees’ Scholars Award alumni living and working in Wyoming.

 

By Micaela Myers

 

The University of Wyoming Trustees’ Scholars Award is the premier scholarship for Wyoming’s top high school students. Hundreds of students have benefited from the award over the years, and in this issue, UWyo Magazine sat down with 20 former scholars living and working in Wyoming. These alumni are giving back to the state that supported them throughout their education. They represent a small sampling of alumni award winners living around the state and across the country. These scholars leveraged the support Wyoming gave them and turned it into big impacts in their industries, families, states and communities.

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Business Owner Drayson Bratt
Hometown: Powell
UW degrees: B.S. in chemical engineering, 2014; M.S. in chemical engineering, 2016; MBA, 2016

During Drayson Bratt’s time earning three degrees at the University of Wyoming, his most impactful experiences were the relationships he built. 

“Professors, classmates, mentors and friends continually challenged me to grow both personally and professionally,” he says. “I especially appreciated the combination of strong academics and a close-knit campus culture where involvement extended far beyond the classroom through athletics, intramural sports and student organizations. UW created an environment where students could genuinely connect, grow and make a lasting impact on one another.”

And because of the Trustees’ Scholars Award, he had the time to fully experience all of UW’s opportunities. 

“Wyoming recognizes the need to train and retain future business leaders,” Bratt says. “Many students feel pressure to leave Wyoming for opportunities in neighboring states, but affordable quality educational programs available at UW create pathways for students to stay connected to Wyoming communities, school and careers. It also rewards hard work and encourages students to continue pursuing excellence after high school.”

After graduation, Bratt spent eight years working in industrial water treatment throughout Wyoming and Colorado. 

“UW gave me not only the technical foundation necessary for a career in chemical engineering but also helped develop the problem-solving, communication and collaborative skills needed to excel professionally and grow into leadership roles,” he says. “My experience at UW strengthened my ability to adapt, think critically and serve my community — qualities that continue to shape both my career and personal life today.”

While his work in water treatment was rewarding, he decided to switch gears in 2022, using his MBA education to take over and expand High Mountain Fitness in Lander.

“I ultimately found the greatest fulfillment in working locally, developing High Mountain Fitness into a place where lifelong fitness, personal growth and community are deeply ingrained in the culture,” he says. “What I love most about my career is the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. I enjoy building relationships, solving problems and creating experiences that help others grow and succeed.”

Bratt has always appreciated the unique combination of close-knit communities and quality of life Wyoming offers. He and his wife wanted to raise their family here and stay connected to the outdoors, their families and the strong sense of community that makes Wyoming such a special place to call home. 

“People genuinely support one another, and there is a strong connection between local businesses, schools, churches and families,” Bratt says.

He loves the access to wild spaces, the slower pace of life and the ability to build meaningful relationships while still pursuing ambitious goals.

“I love Wyoming, and I am grateful for the opportunities UW and the Trustees’ Scholars Award provided,” Bratt says. “I hope my story encourages other Wyoming students to pursue their goals while recognizing the opportunities available within our state.” 

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Dietitian Candace (Wollert) Garner
Hometown: Lingle
UW degrees: B.S. in the didactic program in nutrition and dietetics with a minor in honors, 2014; M.S. in kinesiology and health, 2016

Candace (Wollert) Garner remembers visiting Sheridan for the first time as a high school track athlete and thinking how gorgeous it was.

“Later, when my husband graduated from UW as an electrical engineer and accepted a position in Sheridan, we both knew this was where we wanted to end up,” she says. “Wyoming has a sense of independence that fits me very well, and I think a lot of that came from my parents, Michael and Gretchen Wollert. My dad is a cowboy through and through, and my mom came west because she loved this way of life. They are some of the hardest-working and most genuine people I know, and I see that from so many people in Wyoming. I think that mindset has been a major influence on me.”

Garner works independently as a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer at Purenergy Fitness in Sheridan. 

“I work with a wide variety of clients — from high school athletes building a foundation, to former college athletes, to older adults recovering from surgeries or simply trying to feel good again,” she says. “I love helping people reach their goals without feeling like they have to punish themselves along the way. I’ve been able to build a career that combines nutrition, exercise, education and coaching in a way that feels very authentic to me.”

Garner also serves as president-elect of the Wyoming Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and as a preceptor for the Montana Dietetic Internship, and she and her husband, Nathan, have 5-year-old twins. She believes her time as a student and Division 1 athlete at UW set her up for success.

“The nutrition program at UW is fairly small but very rigorous, and I think that combination fostered both support and accountability in a way that larger programs sometimes cannot,” Garner says. “I was a Trustees’ Scholar and a track athlete, and balancing both required a significant amount of time and commitment. The scholarship relieved a huge amount of financial stress during school.”

The standout experiences that the Trustees’ Scholars Award enabled included studying sports nutrition through a self-directed internship in New Zealand, attending the Division 1West Preliminary Round in Eugene, Ore., breaking the indoor 800-meter school record as a freshman and sophomore, and gaining new perspectives in the honors program (now the Honors College). 

“It’s incredibly meaningful to have your own state recognize your effort, ability and potential with a scholarship like this,” Garner says, adding that many students couldn’t afford college otherwise. “It’s not just financial support — it’s encouragement and belief in students at a really formative time in life.”

In addition to her formal education, Garner carries her love of running into her everyday life, regularly taking part in the Bighorn Trail Run 18-mile race.

She says, “All of my UW experiences helped me feel deeply rooted in Wyoming while also giving me the confidence that I could succeed anywhere.”  

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Engineer Andrew Halverson
Hometown: Green River 
UW degrees: B.S. in chemical engineering with a minor in process control engineering, 2021

 

Tell us about your career:
I’m the engineering manager at Disa Technologies Inc. in Casper. Disa designed a high-pressure slurry ablation technology that unlocks higher recovery of ore and legacy waste in mining. Creation is the best part of my job. Not only have I had the opportunity to create a technology and scale it from a proof of concept to larger commercial scales, but I’ve had the privilege of creating a team that has helped me every step of the way. Building a cohesive team that’s in sync and pulls in the same direction for each other is just as rewarding as the tech we’ve built together.
 
How did the University of Wyoming help prepare you for your career, and what were some of your memorable experiences here? 
Very few things can really prepare you for working for a startup company right out of college, where it’s just you and three other guys with the main problems of time, money and the fact that no one has done what you’re doing before. Some of my favorite professors not only familiarized me with the engineering concepts I’d need but also prepared me for solving those problems in a discerning and measured way.

My senior year, I was paired with three random roommates, and they turned into some of the best friends I ever made in college. The friends I made in the chemical engineering department and the good times we had were pretty great, too.
 
How did the Trustees’ Scholars Award help you as a student?
Receiving the Trustees’ Scholars Award was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Although UW is already a very affordable school, it was great not having to worry about paying for my education and being able to save the money that I earned during internships, putting me further ahead in my financial future.

I think it is very important to reward merit. The top performers in high school will generally go on to do great things and contribute to the world in plenty of ways. This scholarship is not only a reward for their hard work in their studies but also helps set them up for even greater success as long as they continue to drive forward with the same resolve that earned them the scholarship.
 
What do you like best about living and working in Wyoming?
I was lucky enough to find a company I enjoyed working for in Casper. On a professional level, it’s great to work with other hard-working like-minded people. I think Wyoming has a great pool of those people, and it’s awesome working with them. On a personal level, I enjoy the outdoors immensely. Hunting is one of my favorite hobbies. It would be hard to give up what I’ve become accustomed to living here.