Spring 2024 Alumni Newsletter

New Additions to the Honors Team

In July, we welcomed Sawyer Smith to the Honors team as the Coordinator for the University Honors Program. A graduate of the University Honors Program, Smith spent a year working as a recruiter in the College of Arts and Sciences on campus before transitioning to her role in Honors. She is excited to be back in Knoll, and to have the opportunity to make an impact on current and future Honors students through both academic and experiential avenues.

Among other duties, Smith coordinates recruitment of prospective Honors students and oversees the Honors Afterschool Clubs program. She also serves as the instructor for several Honors courses, including UHON 201H and 102H. Smith is also a graduate student in the department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education (TLTE), studying mathematics education.

This year, the Honors team was also joined by Peiwen Wang, a PhD candidate in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education. Wang shares her time between the Honors Program and the Center for Transformative Teaching. This fall, Wang served as the instructor for an Honors first-year seminar, Leveraging Language: How Culture and Language Influence Each Other, which allowed students to learn about how language shapes who they are and how they interact with others. This spring, she will also serve as an instructor for several sections of UHON 102H.

Wang’s research centers around issues related to inequity and racism faced by international students. At UNL, she has worked with Dr. Kara Viesca, Dr. Theresa Catalano and other professors in TLTE, and has taught a number of courses in TLTE. Prior to coming to UNL, Wang earned her M.A. from St. Cloud State University and spent several years teaching in China.

Honors Calculus Class Leads to Love, Lifelong Friendship for Honors Alums

If not for an Honors calculus class taken during their first year of college at Nebraska, Mary and Greg Hegemann's lives might have turned out radically different.

It was on the first day of MATH 107H class in the fall of 1991 that Mary and Greg met each other — as well as several other first-year Honors students who would go on to form a tight-knit group. Years later, Mary and Greg are married and living in Denver, and credit much of what's happened in their lives to the University Honors Program. Small and challenging Honors classes provided a perfect setting for them to learn and to form lifelong relationships.

Mary came to the University from the small town of Belvidere, Nebraska, where she had graduated with a class of just 34. As a highly involved high school student, she knew she wanted a college experience with lots of diverse opportunities. "I was intimidated going to a large University, but I was more excited than overwhelmed — I knew I needed to find my group."

For Mary, the first member of that group, and her earliest college friend, was Joyce Yen. She remembers sitting next to Joyce while registering for classes during New Student Enrollment. Mary was uncertain of what to do; Joyce projected confidence. "She looked like she knew what she was doing, so I just signed up for all the same classes."

One of those classes, of course, was their Honors calculus class — and the group quickly formed a unique bond. Rather than being competitive, they looked to one another for help and support. "If one of us didn't show up for class," Mary said, "the others were calling." It was there that Mary met Greg, a mechanical engineering major from Columbus who, though she didn't know it at the time, would be her husband in a few short years.

For his part, Greg got involved in a fraternity and joined the marching band, though he emphasized that his tightest group of friends came out of the Honors Program. Soon Greg and Mary were dating, and the Honors Program provided many opportunities for bringing their band of friends together: they recalled hayrack rides, a trip to Kansas City, and a tradition of holding a potluck meal each semester to celebrate the end of term. "We were all just learning life together," Mary reflected. "It was great."

Fast forward to September of their senior year, and Greg and Mary — now married — found life getting a little more complicated with the birth of their daughter, Shannon. In addition to required classes, they now added childcare to the usual list of college senior concerns, alongside job hunting and maintaining a strong GPA. For some students, this might have meant delaying graduation, or even being forced to drop out, but the strong community Greg and Mary had built in Honors stepped up to help.

Throughout their senior year, Greg and Mary brought Shannon to campus and dropped her off in the Honors lounge with their friends — especially Joyce Yen — while they attended class. Mary chuckled at the thought of Dr. Patrice Berger, then Director of the Honors Program, allowing them to co-opt one of the Honors Program common areas as a babysitting venue. "I really appreciate Dr. Berger being supportive of us during that time."

After graduation, Greg spent several years with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, working on NASA satellite programs such as the Stardust Capsule, which can now be found in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. He eventually moved on to become part of a microsatellite startup company and is today open to consulting opportunities. Mary has had a successful career as an actuary, and now serves as the CEO of Wakely Consulting Group. From their vantage point today, Greg and Mary look back at all the ways their time in the Honors Program helped to shape them, professionally and personally.

The academic lessons Mary and Greg learned were important, but the relationships they formed, with mentors like Prof. Colin Ramsay, supportive faculty like Dr. Patrice Berger, and many Honors classmates are far more valuable. Many of those friends and fellow Honors alumni remain in their lives to this day, including Dr. Joyce Yen, who is now the Director of the University of Washington's ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change. Mary maintains that "sitting next to Joyce Yen [during their Honors enrollment day] was the best thing I ever did."

Greg's advice for current Honors students reflects this sentiment: "Keep your eyes open for the people you're surrounded by — you're going to meet some really neat people who will become your lifelong friends."

Who would have guessed that one Honors Calculus course could lead to so much?

Honors Students Head to Prague for Winter Break

By Dr. Hana Waisserova, Program Lead and Associate Prof. of Practice of Czech and Central and East European Studies

This January, 15 Honors students will travel to Prague on a faculty-led study abroad program. The capital of the Czech Republic serves as a great location for students to learn about past and current complexities of Central Europe. The course will take place over 3 weeks during UNL's January pre-session. The class is inspired by former Czech president Vaclav Havel and the Forum 2000 global intellectual platform.  The class will engage in global dialogue and learn, share, and communicate current concerns with educated cultural empathy.

This Honors global education program will provide students with a "glocal" (global and local) and study abroad learning experience focused on the search for freedom, belonging and hope at challenging times, specifically focusing on issues related to democracy and civil society. Students will be making connections and comparisons between the Heart of Europe and the Heartland of America. By examining the culture, history, politics, and relevant narratives, students will merge local and global perspectives. While in Prague, students will learn about current issues of Czech and Central European democracies, societies, and cultures, and will discuss diverse implications and meanings.  The program will include debates and discussions led and moderated by UNL faculty Dr. Hana Waisserova.

Students will also take part in a variety of dialogues with local witnesses, activists, and experts, such as Czech-American expert on the psychology of democracy Dr. Martina Klicperova-Baker; meet with cultural diplomats from the American Cultural Center and learn the history of Czech-American diplomacy; they will meet the former local dissidents and writers from Vaclav Havel's circle; meet with women's dissident group that provides help to Ukrainian refugees and hear the story of Czech economic transformation from the Anglo-American University (AAU) rector,  Dr. Jiri Schwarz, a renowned economist.

Through the Czech Embassy in Washington, the class received an invitation to visit the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their historical Cerninsky palace, and will meet with the governmental deputy for Czech-American Heritage issues. Because art and artists have traditionally contributed to the promotion of democracy and served as the consciousness of the nation, students will also explore cultural history, from attending an opera performance of "Mefistoteles" to learn about the Central European Faustian myth, to visiting the studio and art gallery of the internationally renowned contemporary Czech artist David Cerny.  Overall, the class will include short lectures and discussions, interactive tours, innovative experiential learning projects, architectonic walks, field activities, field projects, hands-on projects, and day trip activities. Day trips from Prague will include Plzen (to learn about the Liberation by the US Army and the story of world-renowned Pilsen beer), to Sudetenland mountains (to learn about Czech-German history and also try cross-country skiing), the former ghetto of Theresienstadt (to learn about Holocaust history), and Dresden, Germany (to learn about post-war reconciliation).

On most days, the class will hold morning sessions at the AAU historical building in the very historical center of Prague and live in AAU dorms in the up-and-coming and artistic neighborhood of Holesovice, which is 20 minutes by tram. Afternoons are dedicated to a variety of experiential learning and field activities. The class will have one group meal a day to taste local cuisine and explore the city's gastronomy. 

The class is prepared in cooperation with AAU Prague, the oldest private university in the Czech Republic. In anticipation of the program, the rector Jiri Schwarz personally visited UNL and  met with Dr. Tamy Burnett from the Honors Program, and with the Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Meagan Stevens-Liska.  

Honors Scholars Spend Fall Break Serving in Schuyler, Nebraska

By Tram Ngo, Honors Communication Intern

During fall break this October, a group of 18 Honors scholars embarked on a service trip to Schuyler, Nebraska. Led by Sawyer Smith, the Honors Coordinator, the students engaged in the CityBuild project to serve elementary school students from the area. The service trip opportunity, which started as a pilot in Crete in 2021 and continued in Grand Island in 2022, added Schuyler to the list of Nebraskan communities served by Honors students and Beyond School Bells, a program of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation that builds partnerships for out-of-school learning throughout the state.

"Putting this event together was an amazing experience. The elementary school students were excited and had some awesome ideas, and seeing those ideas come to life with the help of our Honors students was incredible," said Smith.

The CityBuild 2040 activity was developed by Beyond School Bells and Honors students in 2019. It involves hands-on activities using recycled and crafting materials to encourage youth to envision and build a model "ideal community" 20 years into the future. Building a model city is no easy task. Students must consider various factors to create their city. With the assistance of high school students, who are afterschool staff of Schuyler Public Schools, Honors students gained mentorship experiences while working alongside local elementary youth to bring their visions to life using cardboard.

Over two days, the elementary students collaborated with their Honors mentors, delegating tasks and working together to create their future city. The experience allowed students to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills while providing an opportunity for meaningful interactions between the different age groups. Conversations revolved around the project and the college experience in the Honors Program.

Beyond the project itself, the Honors scholars explored the Schuyler community and met some of its residents. They visited the Schuyler Chamber of Commerce, Department of Economic Development, local businesses, and the historic Top Notch Building. Through these experiences, the students gained a better understanding of Schuyler's culture and how it fits into the broader Nebraska community.

The culmination of CityBuild 2040 was a community showcase with teachers and parents. This event allowed the elementary students to proudly present and explain their creations to the community. The showcase provided a stage for students to share their strategic thinking and the aspirations they have for their city.

For five years, the Honors Program has been working with Beyond School Bells and Nebraska Children and Families foundation to serve Nebraska youth while providing Honors students with experiential opportunities in the community. "These are exactly the kind of paid, hands-on experiences we want Honors students to have. I also know that our students learned a lot and had fun getting to know the Schuyler community," said Dr. Patrice McMahon, director of the Honors Program.

One of the Honors scholars, Chau Hong, a first-year Biochemistry major, left the experience with new perspectives and a deeper appreciation for Schuyler's great potential and bright future. Hong, an international student from Vietnam, said "I enjoyed helping the kids building their dream town in 2040. I learned from Schuyler locals that no matter where you study or how far you go, coming back to your hometown is the most respectable success you can have."

The CityBuild 2040 project not only fostered creativity and collaboration, but it served as a platform for community engagement and inspiration for the future development of Schuyler.