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Dick Holland’s Support Mirrors His Passions

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By Steve Jordon
Celebrating the Arts

Separated by time, Dick Holland and Da’Von George are connected by their shared passion for art and communications — the late Holland, an Omaha advertising industry titan and Omaha University art graduate, and George, a future graphic designer.

Another connection: George is an inaugural recipient of a scholarship endowed by the family foundation of Holland and his wife, Mary. George will complete his bachelor’s degree in December at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media.

The Holland Foundation’s gift adds $2.5 million to a scholarship fund supporting students studying arts and communication. The UNO Richard Holland Endowed Scholarship Fund helps students like George, who is the first in his family to go to college and serves as a role model in his community. George coaches basketball and mentors boys in Omaha’s NorthStar program, which aims to support young men in North Omaha.

“A lot of these kids are asking me how to find scholarships and other questions about college,” he said. “It’s always good to get it into their heads that college is an option.”

After graduation, George aims to pursue freelance graphic design logos.  He and his brother recently started a clothing business.

“I love to do anything creative and love to create logos and design,” George said.

George has merged his passion for art with his love of skateboarding and recently created live art at an event hosted by SkateFest, an Omaha nonprofit whose mission is to develop skate culture for the Omaha inner city.

George said he is grateful for the support he received from the Holland Foundation. “It is so meaningful for me to not have the financial burden,” George said. “I feel honored to be an inaugural recipient of this scholarship.”

An inaugural recipient of a scholarship endowed by the Holland Foundation, UNO graphic design student Da’Von George said, “It takes the weight off my shoulders about having to worry about the financial aspects of this year.”

Da’Von George and his brother, Ira George Jr., developed and designed a clothing brand called From the Rejected, and Da’Von George is doing freelance design work, such as creating business logos.

Melissa Berke, Ph.D., associate dean of the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media, said affording college is nearly impossible for some students. “We talk about the economic mobility that a college education provides,” she said, “and to have scholarships that provide that opportunity for students to graduate without enormous amounts of debt is amazing.”

The Holland Scholarship recipients, in turn, will impact their classmates. “The collaboration that happens between students who may not be as advantaged can broaden everyone’s lifetime experiences,” Berke said.

Advocating for Public Health

Dick Holland’s passion for health equity, reflected in a recent $2 million gift from his family foundation that established a presidential chair at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, already is seeding two high-potential efforts to save lives.

“We are innovative and we’re impatient,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health and the first holder of the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Public Health, an endowed fund that provides Khan more than $80,000 a year for innovative work in improving community health.

“I spend all my time thinking about how to make Nebraska the healthiest state in the union,” Khan said. “It was not surprising Dick Holland wanted to help, given his passion for social justice and public health.”

Guided by Holland’s interest in children’s issues, Khan directed part of the chair’s first-year proceeds toward an academic-private industry health coalition that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nebraska and eliminate heath inequity.

He also is funding development of a K-12 curriculum, including an online game called Zoodemic, dealing with public health and agricultural pathogens such as avian flu. Goals include supporting healthy behaviors while working with animals at state and county agricultural fairs and starting public health clubs in every school.

Larger national grants will finance these programs’ long-term growth across the nation and could yield significant impact, Khan said.

“That’s what the Holland money does,” Khan said. “It gives us seed money for a small project that will move forward to a much larger project to catalyze good change.”

‘Teaching is My Calling’

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By Susan Houston Klaus

Wheeler Elementary School teacher Emily Lorenzen loves that her 26 second-graders are so eager to learn and try new things. The Millard Public Schools teacher has felt the same connection to the classroom since she was not much older than her students are.

“My aunt was my preschool teacher, and in elementary, middle and high school, I would always go back to her classroom on days that I had off and just help out with whatever her class was doing,” Lorenzen said.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, who recently earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, always thought she would have a career in the classroom.

“I just knew that teaching was my calling,” she said.

Lorenzen also has benefited from being a UNO Teacher Scholars Academy student at the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. The donor-supported academy, also offered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, provides scholarships and prepares students for teaching careers in the local community through experiential learning. A cohort-based program, the academy was created to address the immediate need for educators and grow the teacher workforce in the state.

Lorenzen said the scholarships provided by the academy have made a world of difference.

“I didn’t have to have the stress of finances and how I was going to afford college,” Lorenzen said. “I just feel very grateful, because I don’t have any loans to pay off. The scholarship also provided me with money to provide supplies for my classroom last year, which was really helpful to making my classroom how I wanted it to be.”

The first cohorts for the Teacher Scholars Academy started in 2019. Since it began, the UNO TSA has enrolled 114 teacher scholars, with a retention rate of 87%. The UNL TSA has enrolled 156 students, with a 91% overall retention rate.

“What is impressive to me is the quality of students TSA attracts and to watch these students grow into critical-thinking, empathetic and sophisticated teacher leaders,” said Braden Foreman-Black, UNL Teacher Scholars Academy coordinator. “Now that we are seeing the payoff of these students now teaching in Nebraska schools, I cannot be prouder of ways we can continue to push the field of teaching to meet the current demands of schools.”

Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous earned his bachelor’s degree in education and special education from UNL in 2024. Today, he’s a special education teacher at North Ridge Middle School in Elkhorn Public Schools. Pechous said building lasting connections with his cohort community has played a key role in reinforcing his decision to become an educator. Those supportive relationships have continued, as graduates helped each other prepare for their first semester of classes last fall.

“I think having a group of like-minded people has been transformative, and it’s reassured me that teaching is what I was meant to do and what I’m supposed to do,” Pechous said.

North Ridge Middle School teacher and Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous

The Scarlet’s New Academic Space Will Offer a ‘Living Laboratory’ for UNL Hospitality Students

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By Connie White

Growing up, Abby Cantrell of Lincoln often traveled with her father to conventions and other events around the country. She attended dinners, banquets and concerts, seeing firsthand the results of months of behind-the-scenes preparation by corporate event planners. The experience — and her love of travel — drew her to pursue a career in the field.

“I like the happiness that it can bring other people,” said Cantrell, a junior in the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “Event planning can be stressful work, but to see the smiles on their faces after an event lets me know that I was able to make their day.”

Cantrell and other students in the HRTM program will soon learn in a new academic space — one that extends their learning beyond the classroom.

In fall 2025, the HRTM program will move from its current location in Leverton Hall on East Campus to The Scarlet on the Nebraska Innovation Campus. The 154-room Marriott Tribute property, the only hotel on campus, was designed to celebrate Nebraska, with each room highlighting a Nebraska town. The hotel is owned, operated and managed privately, with the academic space managed by the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Fundraising for the first phase of the project, which includes 6,000 square feet of academic space, is complete, and construction is underway. The project is supported by a grant from the Economic Development Administration and a leadership gift from Dean and Jessie Rasmussen of Omaha. Additional private support is being sought for a phase two project to build a 4,000-square-foot commercial teaching kitchen in the hotel.

Ajai V. Ammachathram, Ph.D., HRTM program director, said the academic space in The Scarlet will serve as a “living laboratory” for students, with classrooms, a conference room, lounge space for students and faculty offices.

Abby Cantrell

“The classroom can only take you so far in a major like this,” Ammachathram said. “The students have to experience it.”

The hospitality industry is the third largest revenue generator in Nebraska, with nearly 100,000 people working in the leisure and hospitality sector. In 2022, tourism spending contributed $4.3 billion to Nebraska’s economy.

Ammachathram said that, with the hospitality boom post-COVID-19, the program’s graduates are in high demand. The placement rate has been outstanding, with 150 job offers among the 50 students who graduated in the 2022-23 academic year. He said hospitality students have come to their faculty advisers to say, “I have two or three offers. Which one should I pick?”

Students choose from among six emphasis areas: hotel management, club management, event management, food and beverage management, tourism and human resources. There are 250 students in the program, with 100 majors and 150 minors.

Students must complete three internships before graduation. One of the internship experiences offered through the program is at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where students work as bartenders and servers in hospitality cabins and suites for 10 days.

Cantrell, who has worked at the tournament twice, said that in her first year, she was nervous because she knew “there would be very important people in the room.” In her second year, she returned to the Masters as a student lead from UNL. The staff quickly bonded, she said, and they worked together to provide patrons with exceptional service. She said the experience enhanced her communication, teamwork and customer service skills and showed her firsthand that little details matter.

“Getting the internships and on-the-job experience is probably the most important part of what we do in our program,” said Cantrell, who also has a part-time job at a Lincoln event venue. “Until you learn how to apply what we’re learning and get experience doing that, it’s hard to imagine how to put on an event.”

Lyv Williams, a UNL sophomore from Columbus, Nebraska, also provided hospitality for the Masters Tournament last spring. “That was probably the coolest experience of my entire life,” she said. “I know nothing about golf, but I know a lot about hospitality.”

She also completed an internship this summer at an Omaha event planning and floral arranging business. Williams said her goal is to someday start her own business planning weddings and other events.

Williams said the HRTM program provides her with the foundation she’ll need to run her own business. She also appreciates seeing what she learns in action, so she’s excited to take classes in The Scarlet.

“It showcases so many different aspects of hospitality — a restaurant, coffee shop, event space,” Williams said. “Not to mention, the whole building is stunning.”

Fundraising continues for the commercial teaching kitchen at The Scarlet. Gifts may be made online to the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management Development Fund through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Lyv Williams

UNO’s FNBO Code Studio Mirrors Professional Workspaces

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By Sara Badura

Ashita Abraham, a junior double-majoring in cybersecurity and computer science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, spends a lot of time working independently on her coursework.

So, she welcomed the interactive format in her Introduction to Mathematical Proofs class, a one-credit, six-week course she took in the spring of 2024. Instead of in a typical classroom, she found herself in the FNBO Code Studio.

Located on the second floor of the Peter Kiewit Institute building on UNO’s Scott Campus, the FNBO Code Studio serves as a space for computer science students to connect and collaborate with classmates. The studio opened in fall 2023, supported by a generous gift from FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha). An outdated computer lab was refurbished and transformed into a modern tech space, with oval tables, docking stations and whiteboards.

FNBO also made a gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation to create an endowed scholarship to assist students pursuing a degree in the College of Information Science & Technology.

“I loved the whole setup of the Code Studio, which is, when compared to normal classrooms, much more engaging,” Abraham said. “We even had a couple of small TVs and TV screens where students at each and every table could see what the professor was projecting.”

Students and faculty alike appreciate the design of the FNBO Code Studio, said Mahadevan Subramaniam (Subu), Ph.D., professor and chair of the Computer Science Department at UNO. Subu had his first opportunity to teach in the code studio as the instructor leading the Introduction to Mathematical Proofs course.

“At UNO, we talk in terms of small class sizes and having a very nice faculty-to-student ratio,” Subu said. “That’s really important because computer science programs at some institutions across the country have huge classes with hundreds of students.”

UNO prides itself on providing an excellent computer science education while also giving students opportunities for small group and individual experiences, he said.

The FNBO Code Studio provides an ideal learning environment while helping prepare students for their future professional careers, Subu said. Computer science studies often involve individual work, but collaborating with others is crucial to success in the field.

“I think that this kind of an environment makes the transition into the workforce a little bit easier because you’re used to talking to small groups,” Subu said. “You interact with small groups, and you know how to express your ideas.”

UNO student Ashita Abraham
UNO student Thomas Minnich

Thomas Minnich, a UNO senior majoring in computer science, was another student in Subu’s mathematical proofs class in the FNBO Code Studio. He said about half his time in the class was spent working on group projects. The tech-friendly space made it easy for students to plug in their laptops and share their projects on monitors around the room.

Minnich said the FNBO Code Studio is a “great collaborative space” that encourages interactions like those he expects to find in the professional world.

This summer, he completed an internship in software development. In the life cycle of developing code, he said, time is invested early to talk about ideas and make design decisions “before you even start to write the code.”

“Having that social interaction really helps prepare you for real-world challenges when it comes to IT and software development, where a lot of time is spent talking to people,” Minnich said.

UNK Chemistry Student Grateful for Scholarship Honoring Longtime Professor

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By Sara Badura

Caleb Sund of Fremont, Nebraska, knew he wanted to make a difference in the scientific world, so he decided to pursue a career in chemistry. The only thing standing between him and his dream of becoming a pharmaceutical researcher was his ability to pay for higher education.

Fortunately, for Sund, this spring he was awarded the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, providing him with $1,000 to support his academic pursuits. Sund qualified for the scholarship due to his status as a second- semester, first-year student majoring or minoring in chemistry with demonstrated academic achievement, need, integrity, character, dependability and motivation.

“I’m purely paying for college by myself,” Sund said. “This scholarship is really helping me afford college.”

Beginning with a $1,000 gift in 1979, the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship Fund has grown to more than $600,000, thanks to an estate gift from Viola C. Fox after her death in September 2023. With the new funds, the department hopes to award approximately 20 scholarships annually.

The scholarship is named in memory of Fox’s husband, the late Donald E. Fox, a faculty member at Kearney State College and then UNK for 38 years. He taught chemistry and led the department as chair, later serving as dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences.

Just as Donald Fox’s commitment to teaching made a lasting impact on countless UNK students, Sund’s high school chemistry teacher sparked his passion for chemistry.

“I got really intrigued by chemistry in high school from my cross-country coach who was also my teacher,” Sund said. “I learned a lot about the chemistry of how your body works and how it functions from our workouts and runs, and that really got me interested in doing that in college.”

After speaking with several UNK upperclassmen in the honors program who are also majoring in chemistry, Sund was encouraged to apply for the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship. Sund reflected on the significance of scholarship support for him and other college students.

“It’ll definitely impact my ability to pay for my classes,” Sund said. “I will say that I have a lot of trouble with getting money for all of college, so this will definitely help with that, especially with the costs of books and equipment for labs.”

With three years left as a UNK student, Sund is looking forward to the opportunities that have opened up because of financial support from the scholarship. This year he will team up with several professors to assist with chemistry research.

“It’s kind of like a part-time job,” Sund said. “I’ll spend after-school hours inside a lab. The professor will do a lot of research, but I’ll be finding out more of the solutions by actually using a lab. It’ll be really fascinating.”

Once a Goodricher, Always a Goodricher

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Trustee Gives Back to Storied Scholarship

By Robyn Murray

For Larry Bradley, scholarship support was the chance he needed. Growing up in a modest neighborhood in North Omaha, Bradley’s father was a truck driver and his mother worked in the public school system. Neither had attended college, but they made sure their children knew college was their future.

Not going was not an option, Bradley said, although how to pay for it was less clear.

“None of us could afford to attend school without significant assistance and financial aid,” he said. “We definitely needed that as a family.”

Bradley worked full time while attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha — enrolling in summer school and night classes to fit the coursework around work schedules. Bradley ticked off several jobs he held from middle school through college: caddie at the Omaha Country Club; dishwasher; busser; and bank teller. “You name it, I did it,” he said.

Working helped Bradley pay for living expenses and other essentials. But to cover his tuition, he received assistance from a storied institution that proved to be a crucial lifeline: the Goodrich Scholarship Program.

The Goodrich Scholarship Program has served more than 3,500 students since it was established in 1972.

Established in 1972 through legislation championed by Nebraska Sen. Glenn Goodrich, the Goodrich Scholarship Program provides tuition assistance for high-achieving students, many of whom are first generation, low income and underrepresented. It also provides robust support services, which Bradley leaned on.

“I relied on Goodrich to mentor me through school,” Bradley said. “I developed really tight relationships with the Goodrich professors. The overall family of support that Goodrich provided was pretty remarkable, especially for a young struggling kid.”

Goodrich requires students to complete a two-year humanities and social science curriculum that emphasizes cultural and intellectual diversity. Bradley said the courses were some of his favorites at UNO, and the program’s emphasis on diversity provided valuable perspective.

“It really did give me a very broad, diverse outlook,” Bradley said. “I personally support a wide variety of philanthropic causes that are devoted to first-generation college students and students of color and individuals with diverse backgrounds. It’s very important to me, and I think a lot of that perspective was formed as a result of my experience at Goodrich.”

The support Goodrich provided and the experience of juggling multiple priorities laid the groundwork for a successful career. Bradley, who is a University of Nebraska Foundation Trustee, currently oversees 90,000 employees as global head of audit at KPMG International, where he has worked for more than 40 years.

In gratitude for that success, Bradley has given back to the Goodrich program for decades, supporting supplemental funds for textbooks and summer school courses that are not covered by the state-funded scholarship. Recently, he established an endowed professorship, which he hopes will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. Student access and success and creating new endowed professorships are top priorities of the Only in Nebraska campaign.

Graduates of the Goodrich program have gone on to become lawyers, educators, doctors, artists and business professionals. Bradley said Goodrich offers the means for students from all backgrounds to succeed.

“If there’s a way to break out of a cycle of poverty and to really make a difference,” Bradley said, “there’s no question that having scholarship support to allow students to achieve a college degree is critical to making that a possibility.”

‘Home Is Where the Heart Is’

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Pender Graduate Caleb Kelly First to Sign On as Presidential Scholar

By Maddie Pospisil

Family is at the center of Caleb Kelly’s life. So, when he heard about the Presidential Scholars Program at the University of Nebraska, he picked up the phone to see if his perfect ACT score would help him receive a top-tier education while staying close to home.

Kelly, who lives near Pender, Nebraska, learned about the new program when his aunt sent a news article to his mother. He knew he would qualify based on his ACT score, but he wasn’t sure if the program would be up and running in time for his freshman year.

“But then I called and asked if it would apply to me,” Kelly said. “And when they said yes, I was super excited.”

Kelly was the first student to sign with Team Nebraska after the launch earlier this year of the Presidential Scholars Program. The scholarship covers the full cost of undergraduate university attendance — including tuition, fees, books, housing and all other costs — plus a $5,000 annual stipend for any Nebraska student who scores a perfect 36 on the ACT or the SAT equivalent of 1,570 or above. Kelly graduated this year from Pender Public Schools.

The oldest of seven children, Kelly is grateful he had the freedom to choose a university based on his interests and dreams, without worrying about potential debt. He says the scholarship relieved pressure on his parents, who were concerned about college finances.

Then-University of Nebraska Interim President Chris Kabourek and Gov. Jim Pillen jointly launched the scholarship to make Nebraska more competitive for its homegrown talent — students like Kelly. In middle school, Kelly taught himself computer programming languages and calculus. After finding a physics textbook at the Wayne State College library, he dove into physics. He plans to continue pursuing his interest in STEM fields by majoring in computer science and physics.

“I haven’t decided which field I want to go into,” Kelly said. “But wherever I go, it has to have meaning. I need to find something that is meaningful.”

Kelly hopes to find that meaning as part of the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. The Raikes School was the motivating factor for Kelly’s choice to attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He plans to minor in business and believes that the school’s focus on innovation could jump-start an entrepreneurial career.

With Nebraska facing serious brain drain challenges, Kabourek and the governor knew they needed to act urgently in standing up the Presidential Scholars Program to retain more of Nebraska’s best and brightest so they can shape the state’s future. They will help move their chosen university forward, and after graduation, they will help move their communities forward. In the face of urgent workforce needs, it is more important than ever to show these students that there is no place like Nebraska.

This year, 28 Nebraska high school seniors graduated with a perfect ACT score. In all, at least 17 Presidential Scholars will attend college next fall at a University of Nebraska campus. This represents a significant increase from last year, when it’s believed that just nine of the 31 perfect scorers enrolled at a University of Nebraska campus. Building on that momentum, the university now plans to expand the program with the ultimate vision of enrolling an annual cohort of 50 Presidential Scholars.

The Presidential Scholars Program is part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic initiative to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion and build the future Nebraska needs right now. A top priority of the campaign is students. The Presidential Scholars Program scholarship is renewable for up to four years (or the completion of a bachelor’s degree) at any University of Nebraska campus.

As for Kelly, he is trying not to make too many plans. He is keeping his summer open and waiting to see what the fall will bring. He is excited about the independence that will come with going to college, but he’s glad he isn’t going too far away.

“Home is where the heart is,” Kelly said. “I’m just really grateful for this scholarship. It means a lot to me.”

Donors can support the Presidential Scholars Program by making a gift online.

Libraries Gift Eases UNL Students’ Textbook Expenses

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By Susan Houston Klaus 

For junior Matt Girard and other students, textbooks are a costly part of the college experience.

But he and thousands of other students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have been able to keep a little more cash in their wallets because of a program that provides free access to e-books and other materials. UNL Libraries launched the Libraries Course Materials program two years ago, and already it has paid big dividends for students.

From spring 2022 through January 2024, more than 6,000 items were provided to more than 23,000 students enrolled in 600-plus classes. That equates to a total estimated savings of $1.7 million for students. Because of a recent gift commitment made through the University of Nebraska Foundation, the program will be expanded to even more classes.

As part of the program, e-books are purchased with unlimited user licenses, which ensures all students in an online course can use the book simultaneously and makes it possible for instructors to use the e-books in their courses. E-books are available to students directly through their online courses by day one of each class.

Girard, an environmental science major, appreciates the no-cost materials. He accessed an e-book for his Soil and Society class as well as a documentary about the Dust Bowl. Not only did the materials give him and his classmates a broader perspective about the topic, “it also was really nice” not to have to purchase the textbook, he said.

“It makes life a little less stressful,” Girard said. “You don’t have to work quite as much to afford books, and then that gives you more time to study or just try to relax and enjoy a little bit more of your free time.”

Judy Turk, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Conservation and Survey Division of the UNL School of Natural Resources, said the program complements the literature circles teaching strategy she uses in her Soil and Society class.

Participants gather over Zoom for small-group discussions after reading the material and then analyze it. Turk uses the Libraries Course Materials program to provide Girard and other students with the readings.

“That format is important to how I teach the class,” Turk said. “I think with online teaching, it’s important to have things that keep students engaged and talking. The program allows me to do that part of the class in an effective and easy way.”

The University Libraries made affordable course materials a priority as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to engage at least 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support University of Nebraska students, faculty, academic and clinical programs and research to address the needs of the state.

University of Nebraska Foundation Trustees and 1975 UNL graduates Tom and Candy Henning made a gift pledge to acquire more unlimited licenses to expand the program to more courses, further reducing students’ financial burdens. The Hennings are co-chairs of the campaign’s Libraries Campaign Committee.

Kara Mitchell Viesca, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Education, knows how difficult budgeting for textbooks can be for many students, so she has always tried to keep the materials costs for her courses under $100.

“But that sometimes means we’re not engaging with materials that I think would be really beneficial or that students would gain a lot from,” she said.

The Libraries Course Materials program has freed her up to make decisions about what would best support learning for her students, who are current and future teachers.

Medical Students Inspired to Make a Difference

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The three students all say they received mentorship and support from the Scott Scholars Program at UNO, and now as part of UNMC’s inaugural class

By Connie White

Ryan Chapman wants to help others, so he hopes someday to be an internal medicine physician or study infectious diseases.

Heather Richard feels drawn to pediatric hematology and oncology because she loves working with children.

Nour Elrokhsi is exploring a career as a primary care physician because she has personally witnessed how health care can change lives.

Chapman, Richard and Elrokhsi, all from the Omaha area, are medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. All three say their interest in health care stems from a desire to make a difference in the world. And all three credit the Scott Scholars Program with providing mentorship and support to inspire their future health care careers.

The Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation pledged $23 million to sustain and grow the prestigious Scott Scholars Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where it was established by the late Omaha philanthropist Walter Scott, Jr. The gift commitment also supports an expansion of the program to UNMC, where 12 Scott Scholars began their first year of medical school in fall 2023.

Chapman, Richard and Elrokhsi all are graduates of the UNO Scott Scholars Program, launched in 1997 to help keep high-achieving STEM students in Nebraska. The three also are members of the inaugural class of Scott Scholars at UNMC.

Here are their stories:

Ryan Chapman

Chapman, who graduated from Skutt Catholic High School, said that when he arrived at UNO, he planned to become a computer programmer. Then he did a computer science internship with a local company between his freshman and sophomore years. He had a good experience but decided he wanted a career where he could make a more personal impact.

That fall, he enrolled in more science courses and volunteered for the Omaha VA Medical Center.

“I decided that I wanted a job where I’m able to directly work with and help other people,” he said. “I think the Scott Scholars Program helped me to think about it.”

He said his path to medical school was a direct result of leadership classes he took in the Scott Scholars Program, along with the mentorship of Harnoor Dhaliwal, Ph.D., and Wayne Watkins, the leaders of the program.

“The Scott Scholars Program has challenged me to think beyond what I imagined for myself and encouraged me to find a career where I can impact the lives of others,” Chapman said. “I know UNMC will train me to be a great physician.”

Heather Richard

Richard, who graduated from Bellevue West High School, said she has always been interested in the human body and science. Through volunteer opportunities and clinical experiences at UNO, she set a goal to become a physician.

“I have a profound desire to make an impact on patients’ lives,” Richard said.

She said the Scott Scholars Program provided her with a sense of community and made her UNO undergraduate experience enjoyable. Growing up, she was shy and introverted. The program’s leaders helped her step out of her shell and develop communication skills and grow her confidence. She also learned that there are different kinds of leaders.

“You can be a leader even if you’re more quiet and more introverted,” Richard said.

She recalled meeting Walter Scott, Jr., during a reception while a UNO student.

“I remember he treated us with kindness and with so much respect,” she said. “We were a part of his community and his family, in a way.”

After she finishes her training, Richard said, she hopes to practice medicine in Nebraska.

“My family is here,” she said. “I want to be involved in this community and serve Nebraska.”

Nour Elrokhsi

Elrokhsi, who graduated from Millard North High School, said she always knew she wanted to work in health care. Her parents are physicians, so she learned early on the power of health care to change lives.

“Medicine has been something I’ve been around my whole life,” she said.

Through the Scott Scholars Program, she worked with the Munroe-Meyer Institute to propose design ideas for its dental clinic. Working with a team of students that included Richard, the group offered ideas to make neurodivergent patients more comfortable, including adjustments to lighting, images on the projector screens, and even the texture on the exam chairs.

Elrokhsi said primary care is an umbrella term for a host of specialties, including pediatrics, internal medicine and family medicine. She said another area of interest is psychiatry.

“I like the personal aspects of these specialties,” she said. “You get to know your patients, and they become friends.”

She is “just incredibly grateful” for the scholarship assistance she has received through the Scott Scholars Program and for the mentorship and support.

“They believe in you more than you believe in yourself,” Elrokhsi said of the program’s leaders.

She sees herself staying in Nebraska after she completes her medical school training.

“Nebraska has grown on me,” said Elrokhsi, who was born in Libya. “UNMC is an incredible institution and to be able to do my medical training here is a privilege. To continue that here would be wonderful.”

Where Curiosity Becomes Purpose

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Students Interested in Health Care Start Their Careers at UNO

By Robyn Murray

For Cami Bisson, it was a class called Introduction to Health Careers that got her started. Now a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bisson discovered a career she’d never considered: genetic counseling.

“I was, like, wow, that is super interesting,” Bisson said, “to be able to know and understand how these [genetic] interactions unfold and are responsible for everything that goes on in our bodies every single day.”

When Bisson, a first-generation college student, first enrolled at UNO, she didn’t want to work in health care. Her mother is a medical assistant, and Bisson had seen the long hours she put in and how she sometimes took a second job to support her family. But when Bisson learned more about her options, she changed course.    

“There was something about being in the medical field, of having a knowledge base and being able to share that with people, while also getting to hear other people’s perspectives and stories based on their experiences, that really drew me in,” Bisson said.

Bisson is just the kind of student Nebraska needs. The state is facing a severe shortage of health care professionals. From physicians to dentists, pharmacists to occupational therapists, counties across the state are in dire need. As the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s closest partner by proximity, UNO plays an essential role in tackling this challenge by providing foundational STEM classes and a path to a health professions education. But that can be a tall order, because pursuing a career in health care requires a lot  — of education, money, time and, critically, confidence.

Cami Bisson is a first-generation college student who plans to pursue a post-graduate degree in genetic counseling.

Financial support goes a long way; mental support goes a long way, because it’s a long process for students who are thinking of pursuing higher education beyond the college level.

Winnie Ladu
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“It’s intense,” said Paul W. Denton, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at UNO. “The competition is very high to get into health care, and students feel the pressure even before they walk onto campus. They wonder if one mistake can remove their potential.”

Denton said one setback can get in the way of a student completing their undergraduate degree before they’ve even had a chance to get into their health care training program. That is particularly true for first-generation college students, who may not have support networks at home or resources to draw from. He recalled a student whose car was totaled after she was rear-ended. She couldn’t afford to replace it, so she struggled to get to class.

“It’s heartbreaking to see somebody who, if something bad happens, can’t get themselves out of that hole,” Denton said. “It can change their trajectory completely.”

Ensuring pre-health students receive the support they need to succeed is a top priority for the College of Arts and Sciences in Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.

Winnie Ladu, the daughter of South Sudanese immigrants, aims to attend UNMC in the fall with plans to become a physician.

Denton said an emergency fund would go a long way to supporting pre-health students. One resource currently on campus is shepherding pre-health students through graduation. The Urban Health Opportunities Program, which is partly supported by private donations, offers full tuition assistance, wraparound support and guaranteed entry to UNMC if program requirements are met. For students like Winnie Ladu, a pre-health senior at UNO, UHOP made all the difference.

“Financial support goes a long way, mental support goes a long way,” Ladu said. “Because it’s a long process for students who are thinking of pursuing higher education beyond the college level.”

Ladu is the daughter of South Sudanese immigrants and aims to attend UNMC in the fall with plans to become a physician. She said the South Sudanese community in Omaha will celebrate with her.

“I think it’ll be a great accomplishment for not only myself, but for all of us,” Ladu said, “because we all hold each other up.”

As a physician, Ladu hopes to serve the South Sudanese community in Omaha as well as other refugee and immigrant groups. She believes she will connect with them as a health care provider who shares their background. Diversity in the health care workforce is another critical need, as Nebraska’s demographics continue to change.

Paul Davis, Ph.D., directs the Health Careers Resource Center, which manages the Urban Health Opportunities Program.

“Studies have clearly shown that when you train someone from a community and they return to that community, the payback is awesome,” said Paul Davis, Ph.D., professor of biology and the director of the Health Careers Resource Center, which manages UHOP. “The community feels more connected, the individual patient feels connected to their provider, and providers are able to give back beyond just their day job. Those things really move the peg.”

Davis said, as the state’s metropolitan university, UNO draws people from various backgrounds, which is particularly helpful to address the health care shortage but also means students enter UNO at all levels of preparedness.

“The undergraduate university experience is really where it should all come together,” Davis said. “The goal of coming to a place like UNO is to help bring everyone up to the same level, so that by the time they leave they’re ready for the challenges.”

Davis said he wants to ensure UNO’s STEM education continues to excel, and he hopes to reach more students earlier. Denton works with UNO students who serve as STEM mentors in Omaha’s public schools, which he said pays dividends.   

“If you try to engage students at the college level and they’ve already convinced themselves that they can’t do math, or that they’re not a science person, you can’t really reach them,” Denton said.

“I think we need to help build our K12 students up even before they get to UNO, because we might bring some students to campus who otherwise would never have created a shadow on our door.”

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