Phat Management · Lincoln, Nebraska
Phát's family came to America from South Vietnam in 2010, and he felt compelled to give back to his new home. His grandfather had been a lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army, so Phát wanted to continue the tradition of service in his family. He joined the army reserve his senior year of high school and soon decided that he would pursue a career in the military. He's currently in the university's ROTC program as a S1 Personnel, handling the paperwork and managing the well-being of 90 cadets. He appreciates the tight-knit, friendly culture of the group. Everyone is unified under the same dedication to serving. After graduation, he's interested in exploring explosive ordnance disposal. Beyond ROTC, Phát has explored his own cultural heritage through other organizations on campus. He helped establish the university's first Asian interest fraternity, assisted in creating an Asian student leadership conference with the Asian Student Union, is the external vice president of the Vietnamese Student Association, has served on the scholarship committee for Define UNL and assists in fundraising for North Korean refugees through UNL Link. Phát believes college is the best time to find your niche and follow it. Swipe over to hear him talk about stepping out of your comfort zone.
Read all student storiesMartha Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture · Ethiopia
Martha has a deep passion for soil, a resource that most of us take for granted. Her interest was shaped through growing up in Ethiopia where agriculture is the backbone of the country. As a young woman, she knew that if the opportunity arose, she would give back to agriculture in any way possible. After moving to the states as a teenager and gaining several degrees, she started working at Nebraska as a researcher and professor of soil science in 2000. She teaches an entry-level soil resources course and upper-level nutrient management course. Martha says she's "in the business of capacity building," showing students how important studying soil can be. She loves seeing the growth in students as they gain an appreciation and understanding of soil as a natural resource. A few years ago, she traveled to Ethiopia with an interdisciplinary group to collect information from food insecure regions, and the group received additional funding to involve undergraduate students for a study abroad program. Being able to see first-hand what these regions look like was a valuable learning tool for the students. Outside of the classroom, Martha researches how cattle grazing strategies influence soil and enjoys spending time with her three children.
Read all faculty storiesCharlie Director of OASIS · Tuscaloosa, Alabama
From the moment she wakes up in the morning until she goes to sleep, Charlie Foster is focusing on diversity and inclusion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For 15 years, Charlie worked as a counselor for Nebraska's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) where she focused on helping underrepresented students on-campus. Charlie now holds the position of Director of the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services and the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. Her role focuses on serving others and giving every member on campus a voice, something she's had a passion for since elementary school. Whether it be helping others with their mental health journeys or providing students with resources to get them through school, Charlie said she wants to be the person she needed when she was younger. In her family, Charlie was a first-generation college student. Throughout her college experience, she said she needed a role model to tell her she could make it and was worthy of the life she wanted for herself. Often times, students who are looking for help just need someone to advocate for them. To further inspire students at Nebraska, she tells them to "go be amazing," something she believes every students needs to hear throughout this chapter. Her mission on campus is to see students succeed, even if they've doubted themselves in the past.
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