Northeast Community College Honors Bloomfield Woman

Northeast Community College has honored five individuals for career success and achievement following graduation from the institution, as well as for distinguished service to the College.

Major Wendi Sazama, originally from Bloomfield, Jeffrey Temme, Petersburg, and Shane Weidner, Madison, were inducted into Northeast’s Hall of Success during a reception and ceremony recently at the Lifelong Learning Center on the Norfolk campus. The Hall of Success is awarded to individuals for achieving significant professional success, exhibiting exemplary citizenship qualities or making significant contributions to their communities and/or community affairs.

Sazama is a 2003 graduate of Northeast Community College. After earning a paralegal studies certificate from Northeast, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Wayne State College, a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota, a Master of Law in military law with an international and operational law specialty at The Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal School and Center. 

Sazama is presently stationed at Eskan Village, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where she serves as the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) of the United States Military Training Mission (USMTM). USMTM trains, advises and assists the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense through security cooperation efforts in developing and sustaining capable deterrent and self-defense forces. In her role as SJA, Sazama serves as the legal advisor to the Chief of USMTM, a two-star Army General, and ensures compliance with all facets of the joint U.S. Security Assistance mission in Saudi Arabia. 

In his nomination letter, Joseph Skrivan, publisher of the Bloomfield Monitor newspaper, said he has known Sazama for most of her life. “It is a great honor for Wendi to be able to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court, something that took hard work on her part. She has accomplished so much after losing her parents, including helping her younger sister and family while still pursuing her career. To attain what she has accomplished coming from a small town is a testimony in its own."

Speaking from Saudi Arabia via a pre-recorded video at the ceremony, Sazama said that as a result of earning her paralegal studies certificate at Northeast, she was able to obtain a job as an independent legal researcher. 

“The foundational courses that the paralegal certificate program provided me are those that took me from one part of my education to another, and served as a stepping stone to progress down the road that I’m currently at today.”

Sazama’s sister, Brooke, accepted the award at the ceremony on her behalf.
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Also at the ceremony, retired member of the Northeast Board of Governors and current member of the Northeast Foundation Board of Directors, Larry Poessnecker, Atkinson, was presented with the Northeast Community College Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated active service to higher education and who have played a significant role in the development of Northeast Community College. 

Awards were presented by Dr. Michael Chipps, president of Northeast, and Dr. Tracy Kruse, associate vice president of development and external affairs.