Troy
Alumnus and Nursing Student · Gretna, Nebraska
Troy was surprised to learn that he’d volunteered with Husker Pantry for 5 semesters. The first-year nursing student has always just naturally gravitated toward serving others, dating all the way back to his Boy Scout days growing up.
“I was a Cub Scout when I was little and eventually got my Eagle Scout in high school, so service was always just on the forefront of everything I did when I was a kid.”
Troy came to UNL as an undergrad looking for service opportunities to supplement his interest in a career in healthcare. He eventually landed on pursuing a career in nursing, attracted to the idea of being the person who can work closely with patients to understand their specific needs and concerns.
“They say nurses are the patient’s advocate. So much of nursing is thinking about and talking to your patient and seeing what you can do to personally help them feel better and get back to their normal lives.”
This attention to everyone’s specific needs has made volunteering for the Husker Pantry a great fit for Troy, who says that it has broadened his understanding of different student experiences on campus.
“I’ve had a few different people tell me about their stories and why the pantry is a great resource for them,” he says. “A lot of the people who use the pantry also have dependents. it’s already hard being a student, but having dependents on top of that adds a whole other level.”
The Husker Pantry provides free food and personal items to UNL students, working to increase access to needed items and reduce stigmas around food insecurity. Troy and fellow pantry volunteers help to field incoming online orders, collecting and organizing items to get orders ready for student pickup.
Volunteering with the pantry is an easy way for students to give back on campus, says Troy.
“It can be as little as 2 hours a week, so it’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door doing service on campus,” he explains. “I’ve been able to help all kinds of students just like myself who have a variety of different needs.”
“[Volunteering at the Husker Pantry] can be as little as 2 hours a week, so it’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door doing service on campus”
Ethan
Business Management · Norfolk, Nebraska
Growing up, Ethan wanted to be a teacher, but when he first came to Nebraska, he enrolled as a management major and had his sights set on entering the business world. It was his involvement in student groups that changed his trajectory and helped him back to his true calling: teaching.
Ethan realized he could make a career in serving the youth after becoming involved with Dance Marathon and NHRI Leadership Mentoring—two experiences that helped him focus on his passion for uplifting and mentoring the state’s youth.
“In college, I became more focused on impacting youth. You can find a lot of purpose and service in every industry but the idea of working with the next generation and developing young minds is something I found a lot of passion and interest in.”
During winter break of his senior year, Ethan decided to follow his passion and use his business degree in a different way: investing in the next generation. Though he wasn’t graduating with a teaching degree, he began applying for positions and found the perfect match with Bay High, a program where he would be able to leverage his business degree as well as support young creatives who thrive in nontraditional learning environments.
“[At Bay High,] we want to rethink how education works and be there for the kids that other people don’t know how to help. Or help in the best way. Focusing on the youth is a very impactful way to set up the future.”
As Ethan prepares to start his first semester teaching at Bay High, he is excited to continue making an impact in the lives of Nebraska youth. He is grateful for the years of leadership and mentorship experiences through the university and looks forward to using his experience to help his students in education and life.
“I want my students to understand business but mostly, I want to help them develop as human beings, understand themselves and the world, and figure out their purpose and where they fit into the world.”
“I want my students to understand business but mostly, I want to help them develop as human beings, understand themselves and the world, and figure out their purpose and where they fit into the world.”
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.”