Kansas State University

Two K-State graduates to receive 2014 Distinguished Young Alumni Award

Submitted by Megan Sherlock Brooker

Two recent Kansas State University graduates — Molly Hamm, Shawnee, Kan., and Matt Wolters, Atwood, Kan. — are the recipients of the K-State Alumni Association Student Alumni Board’s 2014 Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

The award recognizes two K-State graduates who are younger than 35 years old and are using the scholarship, leadership and service experience they acquired at K-State to excel in their professions and contribute to their communities.

The K-State Alumni Association and Student Alumni Board will honor Hamm and Wolters when they return to campus Feb. 24-26 to give keynote presentations and visit with student groups and university classes. Nick Piper, Xiamen, China, a 2008 K-State graduate and one of the recipients of the inaugural 2013 Distinguished Young Alumni Award, also will be on campus to participate.

“In fulfillment of our mission to serve as the link between the K-State Alumni Association and past, present and future K-Staters, the Student Alumni Board created this award to simultaneously honor some of our most accomplished young graduates and also create new ties between past and present K-Staters,” said Samantha Kellerman, Student Alumni Board president.

“We believe there is a lot of value in bringing back distinguished young alumni because of their ability to relate to students and engage in campus activities,” Kellerman said. “This year's recipients truly embody the spirit of service and accomplishment that this award seeks to recognize, and we are very excited to honor them.”

Hamm is the monitoring, evaluation and learning coordinator for The DREAM Project, a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities to at-risk youth in the Dominican Republic. She manages research projects and measures the impact of the organization’s programs, and also is working to source K-State students as volunteers for the organization, establishing relationships with the College of Education and the International Service Teams based in the School of Leadership Studies.

While at K-State, Hamm served as a senator in the Student Governing Association, as president of the K-State Student Foundation and as community service chair for Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, among other roles. She graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with degrees in secondary education, English and international studies with a minor in leadership studies, nonprofit focus, and also earned a master’s degree in international educational development from Columbia University in New York.

Wolters is co-founder and co-owner of SureFire Ag Systems Inc., a company that designs and manufactures solutions to apply fertilizer and chemicals to crops and fields throughout Kansas, the U.S. and the world. In addition to SureFire Ag Systems, Wolters and his partners founded the Dream Big Foundation, which promotes and provides resources to enhance science, technology, engineering, agriculture and math education in the Rawlins County USD 105 school district.

Wolters also helped reorganize the Kansas FFA Foundation and serves as a member of the Rawlins County Hospital Board and the Kansas Agricultural Rural Leadership Program. While at K-State, Wolters served as a College of Agriculture ambassador as well as a member of Blue Key Honor Society and Student Governing Association, among other roles. He graduated in 2003 with a degree in agricultural economics.

For more on the Distinguished Young Alumni program, visit online or call the K-State Alumni Association at 800-600-ALUM (2586).