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Wade Cushing says he will attend Texas A&M University to study chemical engineering

CCHS senior awarded $100K scholarship

The Cushing family gathers with Wade, a senior at Churchill County High School, who has been awarded a $100,000 scholarship to a top-30 engineering university. From left are Rhiannon, Jason, Verity and Wade Cushing, along with Thomas Toland, director of engineering for Gemini.

The Cushing family gathers with Wade, a senior at Churchill County High School, who has been awarded a $100,000 scholarship to a top-30 engineering university. From left are Rhiannon, Jason, Verity and Wade Cushing, along with Thomas Toland, director of engineering for Gemini.

By Steve Ranson

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

A Churchill County High School student has been granted the opportunity to attend the engineering school his parents attended.
Wade Cushing will receive a $100,000 scholarship to one of the nation’s top 30 engineering universities. On hand for the announcement were not only Cushing’s parents but also several of his teachers and members from his church.
“We give scholarships to promising engineering students,” said Thomas Toland, director of engineering for Gemini, a Minnesota-based engineering firm.
He said the scholarship will be disbursed in $25,000 increments over the four years of college.
During the presentation, Cushing revealed he’s been accepted to Texas A&M University in College Station. The university was tied for 10th with the University of Illinois and the University of California at San Diego. Cushing said he would like to study chemical engineering.
The Aggies tradition will continue for the Cushing family. His father, Jason, and mother, Verity, attended Texas A&M. An older sister, Rhiannon, graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno. Wade Cushing said when he visited the campus, he found it to be welcoming, and he was intrigued with the school culture.
“No relation, but there’s a Cushing Memorial Library there,” he said with a smile.
Toland also came to Fallon to visit the Gemini facility located on New River Parkway. Toland works at the Cannon Falls, Minnesota, headquarters, which oversees 18 locations in the United States.
“Our founder was an engineer,” Toland said. “He really wanted to do something to give back to the community.”
Gemini established the Ross Wagner Scholarship, which was named after the second chairman of the Board of Directors at Gemini. Wagner died in 1992.

Steve Ranson/LVN
Thomas Toland, right, director of engineering for Gemini Engineering, congratulates Churchill County High School senior Wade Cushing who has been awarded a $100,000 scholarship to a top-tier engineering program.

 
The scholarship criteria calls for the winning students to attend a top-tier engineering school either in the United States or Canada as rated by U.S. News and World Report.
“This exemplified our founder,” Toland said. “He was a very humble person. He started this small company in his garage in 1963.”
In addition to the Fallon and Minnesota plants, Toland said Gemini is located in Texas, Iowa, Mexico and Canada.
The CCHS senior added his chemistry teacher talked to him about the University of Washington’s engineering program, which is rated No. 24. Nevada’s engineering department also came up in conversation, but Wade Cushing had a strong affinity for Texas A&M.
“When I was a young man in Wade’s position, I was looking to go to schools elsewhere, and I had the opportunity to allow me to go to Texas A&M on a big scholarship,” said Jason Cushing, the technical director at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center. “I’m excited for him to have the same opportunity.”
Toland said he was impressed with the interview process.
“I like how (Wade) presented himself in the interview,” Toland said. “He did a great job. Without a question, he has the grades, ACT scores, and he’s going to a great school.”
CCHS Principal Tim Spencer said he’s thrilled for Cushing and the scholarship awarded to him.
“This is just really something,” Spencer said. “I have goosebumps that have quite literally not gone away since Tom called me with the news last week. This is very exciting for him and his family. His future is bright.”
The Cushings moved to Fallon less than two years ago when Jason Cushing accepted the position at NAWDC. Prior to relocating, he worked at the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lakes, Calif. The nearest city is Ridgecrest.
Wade Cushing said he was involved in many activities at both the high schools in Ridgecrest and Fallon. Since he began attending school in Fallon, he has been involved with band and jazz band in percussion and guitar. He has also been on the golf and cross country teams and belongs to the National Honor Society. In 2019, he became an Eagle Scout.

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