Susan Wesely
Great Plains Studies
Susan restarted college in her sixties, and is now a proud December 2020 Husker grad.
While working in the Student Involvement office, she was searching through available majors and minors when she learned about the Great Plains Studies program.
"And I thought, 'Oh I think if I would have had that back in the '70s, I might have finished college,'" Susan said.
As Susan thought about the possibility of going back to school, the message of a card on her desk caught her eye. The card — given to her by her coworker — said, "Stop asking yourself about whether you can or should, think about how you might."
"Every day I would see that card, and then one day it just kind of clicked," Susan said. "Instead of sitting there thinking, 'Well, I'd like to go back,' — I work at the university, I get credit for education if I want to — now would probably be a good time, because I wasn't getting any younger."
And so, after dropping out in her twenties, Susan restarted her degree. Her first semester didn't go quite as planned, as she developed an infection and wasn't able to complete her class. But after recovering, she returned and started steadily chipping away at her course requirements. It wasn't always easy — Susan has complications from her past cancer diagnoses, had to balance her studies alongside working a full-time job, and had to spend a lot of weekends away from her grandkids and family so she could complete her homework.
"Being a college graduate means a lot to me personally," Susan said. "Because I really didn't think I could do it."
Susan's degree is also for her family. Her parents didn't graduate high school, making her a first-generation college student. It's also for her kids and grandkids, so they can have an example of perseverance.
"With all my cancer and stuff, I really wanted to show them that you can get knocked down several times and pick yourself back up and go."
Brittany
Research Assistant Professor · Oakland, Nebraska
Many of us feel a strong connection toward UNL, but Brittany, a Research Assistant Professor in the Center on Children, Families, and the Law (CCFL), can claim something that few others can: she’s been a Husker since preschool.
When she was four years old, Brittany attended a head start program at the Barkley Center on East Campus. She later returned to UNL as an undergraduate in the Child, Youth and Family Studies program, where she found research opportunities that inspired her to pursue a career in academia.
“I participated in the McNair Scholars Program, which helps first-generation or underrepresented minority groups get into academia,” explains Brittany. “The McNair program introduced me to academic research, which I ended up really enjoying and is what set me on the path to pursuing a PhD.”
The research Brittany participated in as an undergraduate focused on substance use and homelessness, a community service-oriented field that resonated with her. Her desire to further engage in this line of research would eventually lead her away from Nebraska – though not permanently.
“I went to graduate school at Ohio State, and that’s where I got my PhD in Couple and Family Therapy. But it was always my hope that I would be able to move back to Nebraska and build a career there.”
Now with the CCFL, Brittany applies her research – centered on youth experiencing homelessness – to the Lincoln and UNL communities that have helped her get to where she is now.
“It’s a meaningful fit for me because a lot of the work at CCFL is about improving the systems of care for disadvantaged groups in Lincoln,” says Brittany. “Thinking about myself growing up in a disadvantaged family, it feels good to now be in a position to improve the systems that help families like mine.”
Brittany remains thankful for the opportunities she received through UNL that have allowed her to bring things full circle and give back to the Husker community.
“It feels good to show that these programs work, because they really are made to help students.”
Kenji
Assistant Director of Big Red Resilience & Well-Being · Phoneix, Arizona
Upon reflection, Kenji can trace a throughline of service from his time in the military all the way to his current role as associate director of Big Red Resilience & Well-Being (BRRWB). This dedication to service began when he enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from UNL in 1999, and now manifests in making sure all Husker students feel seen, supported and protected on campus through BRRWB.
"Where I’m at now, I see that all the discipline, experience, and relationships that I’ve built through my years of service have taught me to consider everyone equally,” Kenji says. “When you need help and resources, it doesn’t matter if you have different experiences, different backgrounds or different belief systems. What matters is the feeling that someone has your well-being in their hands.”
Kenji, who grew up in Phoenix, came to UNL in 1995 and graduated with a degree in psychology. Because his father was a career Marine, service was always in the back of his mind.
“I’ve always intrinsically known that I wanted to serve in some capacity. This is the social scientist in me, but I feel it was a way for my father and I to connect through a transcendental calling, through something greater.”
Kenji recalls he and his father comparing their basic training photos, reflecting on who they were then and the men they grew to become in the military.
“Looking at these pictures, I see these wide-eyed young men not really having any idea what the bigger world is all about. Putting on the uniform gave me a better understanding of myself, my responsibility to others, the larger world and different perspectives.”
On Veterans Day, Kenji says that it’s not just a time to memorialize—we must also consider.
“Veterans Day to me is an opportunity to consider. I consider not only my service, but the service of those who I’ll never meet, their families, their sacrifice and their service to the greater good. It’s a responsibility we have, as civilians, to consider those that selflessly give themselves to protect our freedoms.”
Katie
Class of 2001 · Lincoln, Nebraska
Katie uses her legal expertise to help Native American tribes. After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2001, she went on to Columbia Law School. Now, Katie is a part of the American Indian Law and Policy group at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Katie represents Native American tribes across the country and has expertise in the area of Indian water settlements. She always knew that she wanted to work on behalf of tribal nations. As a member of the Ponca Tribe, Katie was especially inspired by how passionate her family members were about leading and protecting Nebraska’s first peoples.
“Having my family members be very involved in our tribal government throughout my life...my great grandfather was the chief of my tribe, my grandma and aunt were on the tribal council, my mom is the Director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. Just seeing all of these role models in my life that were very much involved and passionate about protecting tribal sovereignty and working on behalf of Native people — that advocacy was ingrained in me from a very early age,” Katie said. “I think I always knew that was where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do.”
Aside from her many water settlements, one of Katie’s proudest moments as an attorney was when her pro bono work helped to place a statue of Nebraska’s Chief Standing Bear in the U.S. Capitol.
“Now when people go into the United States Capitol, they will see a Ponca leader that is honored there. It's very close to my heart and touching that there will be hundreds, thousands, millions of people who go on Capitol visitor tours and they will see a tribal leader from my tribe and try and learn more about our history,” Katie said. “Also, it is important to teach my children to be proud of who we are and where we come from — they can see that there's one of their tribal leaders in the United States Capitol who is honored and respected.”