Major: political science
Hometown: Norfolk, Nebraska
Jesse knew even before college that he wanted to go into a career focused on public service. Now, he's doing just that through The Nebraska Change Venture.
"I think it's important because a lot of young people want to do well," Jesse said, "And the biggest gap is knowing how to do it."
With The Nebraska Change Venture, Jesse and his fellow organization members create free presentations, workshops and online resources that help high school students determine their professional goals and ambitions. Through classes on how to write cover letters, and handouts on networking or online resume templates, they're giving students professional development opportunities and materials they might not have access to otherwise.
Even though he's always felt comfortable in a professional atmosphere, Jesse understands how it can be difficult for other young people to find the confidence to put themselves out there when they're meeting with a potential employer or new networking connection. He believes that by teaching these skills at a peer-to-peer level, students will feel more comfortable learning and replicating them.
"We think that it's really important that when we go and speak with students," Jesse said, "We are doing it from a perspective they can kind of understand."
Since bringing The Nebraska Change Venture to Lincoln during his sophomore year, Jesse has gained valuable professional skills while sharing his knowledge and impacting students across the capital city community. Now that he's close to graduating, he is proud to be able to look back at all the lives that The Nebraska Change Venture has shaped so far, and all the future Huskers it will help as well.
