Daniel Soukup was awarded a Dakota Build scholarship this past May. He will be attending Mitchell Technical College going into the electrician program. Daniel is the son of Gene and Laura Soukup and the grandson of Eugene Soukup.

Daniel applied for the scholarship because he saw the change that the Dakota Build scholarship had made in other people’s lives. He knew that he wanted to get into a trade, so he decided to look more into the program. He feels very fortunate to have been chosen as a recipient of this scholarship.

What interests Daniel about the electrician field is that he knows that there is a need for electricians so finding a job in the field will be easier than in other professions and he also wanted to be able to help the Wagner community’s needs. Daniel is being sponsored by Helo Electric of Wagner which is owned and operated by Jon and Whitney Podzimek. For Daniel, he feels that his commitment to Helo Electric is of the utmost importance as Jon is putting his trust into Daniel to successfully complete the program followed by working for the company for at least three years after Daniel graduates. Daniel is very excited to know that he has a job after graduation and to be able to utilize this scholarship.

Daniel was actually approached by Jon who expressed his interest in trying to find an electrician that would be able to work for him. After a couple of different, well-thought-out conversations, Jon decided to invest in Daniel as a future employee and as a person. Daniel could not be more grateful for the opportunity. He would like to thank his sponsor Helo Electric and Jon and Whitney Podzimek. Words cannot describe the feeling of knowing that he will not owe any tuition or cost of tools and a computer. The investment that Helo Electric, Jon and Whitney and their family will be putting into both Daniel and his future will not go unnoticed or be absent, as he will provide the best quality work and work his hardest.

In ten years, Daniel sees himself still doing electrician work, as to where he will be located that will be remain to be seen depending on the opportunities that present themselves to him. Daniel is a 2024 graduate of Wagner Community School. In his free time, he enjoys playing baseball, hunting, fishing, farming and golfing.