Meet NAPE/AFSCME member Brandon Ziska, a Security Officer II at Wayne State College. This month marks Brandon’s 18th anniversary working at Wayne State, which is also his alma mater.
“I always say that I came here for college and I never left. I started as a student worker then became a full-time employee,” he said. “It was an amazing place to go to school — I met my wife here in the dorms — and it’s been a really rewarding place to work.”
Brandon feels that Nebraska State Colleges are essential resources that make quality education accessible to everyone at a reasonable cost. As a Security Officer, Brandon ensures that the students at Wayne State are safe and have access to help in any adverse situation.
“Getting students safely to graduation is always my goal,” he said. “I’m there to help them through tough situations, whether it’s a minor medical call or a heart attack. I appreciate that students and staff trust us and look to us for help and situational advice.”
During the mid-January blizzard, Brandon dug students’ cars out and helped jump-start dozens of dead vehicle batteries.
“We work well with local police and first responders in some situations,” Brandon said. “We come together as a community, especially in adverse weather like we just had, and we help get one another through to the other side of it when things get back to normal.”
Brandon is proud to work for Wayne State College, a place that he feels has shaped him into who he is today.
“No matter where you’re from, the State Colleges are a great resource to learn and grow personally and professionally,” he said. “We are all about serving our communities, and I feel I’ve learned and honed that core value here at Wayne State.”
In his free time, Brandon spends time with his wife and two kids. He also hunts, fishes, and works on the 1951 Chevy pickup that he’s been restoring since his grandfather gave it to him when he was 16.
Brandon is a NAPE/AFSCME union steward, a Volunteer Member Organizer, and a member of our Board of Directors.
“State Colleges is a really small subsection of our union, we’re so different from other state employees,” he said. “But I want us to be a collective voice. I want my colleagues to know how much power we have when we work together. You see our union doing that right now — creating relationships and moving forward.”