Bradley Schernikau received the 2019 Excellence in Mentoring award with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS). He’s been with NDCS for 13 years as a Canteen Supervisor.

“It’s nice to be recognized and it’s humbling,” said Schernikau. “It’s nice to be recognized by your peers.”

Schernikau was nominated for his positive and professional attitude and passes that onto new hires through giving them an excellent learning environment as an instructor and mentor. He’s able to adapt his training to each new teammate’s learning style. He acts as a role model as he did not call in sick during the entire 2018 calendar year.

Schernikau says when he is training someone new at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institute, he always tries to remember that he was new once too.

“When I train new staff, I show patience and open-mindedness,” said Schernikau. “I try to give new staff the keys to be successful on their own and I show them how to do something, instead of telling them how.”