Majors: Political science, classics and religious studies, psychology
Hometown: Cortland, Nebraska
Graduated: May '19
What does graduating from Nebraska mean to you?
"I can finally start making a long term impact in the places that matter to me, doing what matters to me."
Transformational moment
"After years of trying to find what I wanted to spend my life doing, I finally recognized that I don't have to solve all the world's problems to be successful. Success is contributing to one area that is part of the big story."
Plans after graduation
"Policy Assistant at the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, Nebraska."
After graduation, you are most looking forward to...
"Helping keep Nebraska's rural communities strong."
The best thing about being a Husker is...
"being a part of the good life wherever I go."
Why you chose your major
"I have always enjoyed learning about the government and politics and after I quit Architecture it seemed to be the only beacon calling me and it has become my "main" major. I picked up majors in the Classics because I teacher I had during Latin became my mentor and I got a lot of value out of how the department interacted with students—easily my most engaging research. Later on I pursued Psychology for research opportunities and I felt that it would give me beneficial insight into how I might best interact with and lead others."
Favorite course
"While this is always a hard choice, my best academic experience was in POLS 443, Civil Liberties. It was a law school-style course which I took in a 3-week summer session. That resulted in reading legal cases for 8 hours a day and going to class for 3. While it was brutal, I've never felt more engaged in my academic work than in that short time."
Research or internship experience
"I spent 10 weeks in Red Cloud, NE through a Rural Futures Institute Program. During that time, my partner and I created an economic development plan for the community and took part in numerous other development activities. While I don't plan to pursue a career in community development, rural communities are what I'm most passionate about and I want to have a big part in a community's development in the future and hopefully even engage in legislative policy regarding rural areas."
Other involvement
- CAS Student Ambassador
- Cornhusker Marching Band as rank (instrument section) leader
- President of Kappa Kappa Psi, a band service fraternity
- Psychology research
- Omicron Delta Kappa honor society
- Lied Center volunteer
- ASUN
- Model United Nations
Why you chose Nebraska
"It was really financial concerns that placed me in Lincoln. I had really wanted to go to a prestigious school before coming to college but couldn't afford to do that. I'll admit that when I came to UNL I was afraid I would have less opportunities than a coastal university. Luckily, I found that to be a huge misconception of my youth and have been able to do work here that wouldn't have been possible at a prestigious university."
