Sixty-five University of Nebraska-Lincoln students — including two from Central Nebraska — have earned undergraduate certificates in sales excellence and were honored at a May 2 luncheon hosted by the Center for Sales Excellence.
CHADRON — Chadron State College has announced the President’s List and Dean’s List for the Spring 2025 semester.
To be eligible for the President’s List, students must have completed at least 12 credit hours of coursework, be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 4.0, and have no incomplete grades.
Area students on the list include: MaKinna Bowman of Amherst; Megan Urban of Archer; Samantha Wrick of Aurora; Katie Hadenfeldt of Cairo; Aubree Quast of Clarks; Garrett Orcutt of Grand Island; Patrick Blake, Nicole Deterding, Natalie Hamaker, Colton Holoubeck, Tianna Martin, Logan O’Brien, Preston Pearson and Carmen Throckmorton, all of Kearney; Ella Jaixen and Hailey Rademacher of Loup City; Alexis Kramer of St. Paul; and Clay Brandenburger and Shelby Osantowski of Silver Creek.
To be eligible, students must have completed at least 12 credit hours of coursework, be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher, and have no incomplete grades.
Area students on the Dean’s List include: Dylan Thom of Ayr, Katelynn Blomstedt of Central City, Gracie Ackles of Farwell, Jennifer Aragon and Alexis Dahlke of Grand Island, Garrett O’Hare of Kearney, Joshua Randall of Kenesaw, and Isabella Poppe of Minden.
The Nebraska Cooperative Council Education Foundation has awarded 11 scholarships — including two Central Nebraska students — totaling $36,500 for the 2025/26 academic year to students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis, or the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Adam Knapp
Lydia Ziemba
Area recipients include Adam Knappof Ord who received a $3,500 NCCEF Scholarship in honor of Michael S. Turner; and Lydia Ziemba of Silver Creek, who received a $2,500 scholarship, also in honor of Turner.
Knapp, the son of Jay and Kay Knapp, will be a sophomore at UNL majoring in agribusiness. The Knapps are members of Country Partners Co-op headquartered in Gothenburg and Aurora Co-op Elevator Co. headquartered in Aurora.
Ziemba, daughter of Chester Ziemba, will be a sophomore at NCTA majoring in agribusiness. The Ziembas are members of Frontier Co-op headquartered in Lincoln and Aurora Co-op Elevator Co.
To be eligible for the scholarships, students must be majoring in agribusiness or agricultural economics at UNL, agribusiness or ag production systems at NCTA, or agribusiness at UNK. Eligibility is restricted to sons/daughters of a parent/legal guardian who has been an active voting member, director or employee for at least the prior three years of a cooperative which has been a member in good standing of the council for at least five years.
Nine UNK students recently competed at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. They’re pictured with adviser Theresa Yaw, a lecturer in the UNK College of Business and Technology.
KEARNEY — University of Nebraska at Kearney students won nine awards, including the most prestigious honor, at the Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Dallas.
The annual conference gives FBLA members from colleges and universities across the country an opportunity to network, attend leadership workshops and compete in events testing their business knowledge and skills.
More than 1,100 students attended the conference, with an average of 60 students competing in each event. The top performers were recognized Monday evening during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony.
UNK students placed inside the top 10 a total of nine times, with seven of the nine participating Lopers receiving recognition.
Courtney Cox of Alliance took first place in the future business executive competition, the premier event honoring outstanding FBLA members who have demonstrated leadership within the organization along with the knowledge and skills necessary for a successful business career.
Area students earning awards include Cody Swinarski of St. Paul, sixth place, Business Communication; and Nicholas Thieszen of Henderson,10th place, International Business
FBLA is the largest business career and technical student organization in the world. The collegiate division is dedicated to inspiring and developing the next generation of leaders by preparing members for careers in business-related fields.
LINCOLN — Twenty students from across Nebraska have been selected for a highly competitive University of Nebraska–Lincoln program aimed at increasing the number of production animal veterinarians in the state.
Area students selected for the program include: Carter Auten of Ayr, Keelyn Shea of Broken Bow, Colter Wright of Burwell, Kash Majerus of Hampton and Emma Ellis-Sack of Marquette.
The students, all high school seniors who graduate this spring, were selected for the second cohort of the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program. The program, a partnership between Gov. Jim Pillen and the university, is aimed at addressing Nebraska’s shortage of food animal veterinarians.
LINCOLN — Sixty-five University of Nebraska-Lincoln students — including two from Central Nebraska — have earned undergraduate certificates in sales excellence and were honored at a May 2 luncheon hosted by the Center for Sales Excellence.
The students completed 15 credit hours of sales coursework that sharpened their communication and relationship-building skills. Students can opt to take another three credit hours to earn an advanced certificate.
Among those earning honors were Jade Erickson, a senior from Central City, majoring in management; and Hannah Fjeldheim of Doniphan, a senior marketing major.
State-of-the-art technology within role-play rooms in the Center for Sales Excellence allows students to practice pitching and receive real-time feedback on their techniques, honing their communication and selling capabilities. Students also participate in regional and national role-play competitions.
The Center for Sales Excellence has awarded more than 425 certificates and 120 advanced certificates since its founding in 2013, and Nebraska has been named a “Top University for Professional Sales Education” by the Sales Education Foundation each year since 2014.
For the full list of students who earned a certificate in sales excellence, visit https://go.unl.edu/xzkp.
HASTINGS — Hastings College has announced its Who’s Who honorees, who are students recognized for having made outstanding campus contributions during their college careers.
Up to 10% of the graduating seniors may be named to the Who’s Who list, which is determined through a student vote and a student-faculty committee.
Grand Island students named to Who’s Who are Myah Brown and Christian Wiegert.
Brown, a biology major and Dean’s List and Scott Scholar student, has been active in the Honors Program and was a member of Alpha Chi, Beta Beta Beta biology honor society, co-president of the Student Health Advisory Council, was an Irish Fellow and in the Athletic Management Program. She was on the homecoming court and has served as the president for Diabetes Link.
Wiegert, a biology and Honors Program student, has been a member of the Student Health Advisory Council, CRU, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Beta Beta Beta, the biology honors society where he served as treasurer. A resident assistant, Wiegert has also served as a campus tour guide and has participated on the cross country and track and field teams.
HASTINGS — During Hastings College’s Honors Convocation on April 30, students and faculty were recognized for their outstanding achievements during the academic year.
Area students earning honors include: Carrie Brosman of Aurora, Denny Storer Political Science Award; Sam Acosta Castellanos of Farwell, Harry James Physics Award; Erick Rodriguez of Grand Island, Hastings College Outstanding Performer in Music; and Abigail Fielder, Harry James Physics Award, and Grace Hartman, Alpha Chi Outstanding Sophomore Student and Outstanding Sophomore English Award, both of Hastings.
YORK — York University announced the students named to the Dean’s List for the Spring 2025 term; 134 students were recognized with this distinction.
To be named to the Dean’s List, students must carry 12 or more graded hours and achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.75 with no incomplete grades and no grade below “C” for the semester.
Area students on the list include (* denotes a 4.0 term GPA): Esperanza Villatoro of Grand Island, Liberty Baker* of Silver Creek, and Bryce Gorecki* of St. Libory.
Kaleigh Metzger of Grand Island was among 270 graduates to receive bachelor’s degrees at Northwestern College during commencement ceremonies May 10 in Orange City, Iowa. Metzger received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in elementary education.
Alberto Ortega Garcia of Grand Island was among more than 400 new health professionals who graduated on May 30 with degrees from Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences. Ortega Garcia completed a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa’s capital metro, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences was founded in 1898.
Concordia University, Nebraska recently honored 27 graduating seniors who maintained high levels of academic excellence during their time at the university. The College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, represented by Dr. Lorinda Sankey, dean of the college, honored Jessica Zehendner of Pleasanton, early childhood education; and Ty Nekoliczak of Greeley, health and human performance. Each year, academic departments may confer two or more awards, depending on the department’s size and the number of students in a particular program. Each department may determine the basis for students’ attainment of these awards; however, they must consider the student’s grade point average, service to the department and service to the university.
Several Central Nebraska students have been named to the President’s List or the Dean’s List for the spring semester at Southern New Hampshire University. Lindsey Basye of Grand Island, and Keri Zimmerman and Dakota Hopson-Johnson of Hastings were named to the President’s List. Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President’s List. Aaron Bosveld of Hastings was named to the Dean’s List, which requires full-time undergraduate students to earn a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term.
Kaylee Powell of Central City was a member of the Concordia University, Nebraska’s Competitive Leadership Team that traveled to Oklahoma City this spring for regional competition. “My most meaningful experience through CLC has been learning that strong leadership starts with prioritizing relationships,” Powell said. “Being part of the team that pushed me to grow by connecting with people from different backgrounds and learning to lead with confidence.”
Gracie Conrad
Gracie Conrad of Burwell was among the students at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture earning honors when the school took part in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture hosted its annual judging conference in Canyon, Texas. The team tied for fourth place among eight teams and 33 individuals in Ag Communications, barely missing third. Individually, Conrad placed fourth. Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution located in Curtis.
Madelyn Graham of Grand Island and Marlie Mundt of Marquette were members of the Concordia University, Nebraska speech and debate team that participated in the AFA-NST (American Forensics Association — National Speech Tournament) at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte campus in April. Graham was a District IV nominee to be a part of the AFA All-American team, which prioritizes volunteer work and academics alongside competitive success.
The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Crops Judging team retained its title in the crops contest and added the top spot in Precision Agriculture at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Conference hosted by West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. The NCTA Crops team placed first overall, with Owen Harb of Grand Island placing fifth.
Jaylea Pope
Jaylea Pope of Shelton is working this summer in an internship program sponsored by the Nebraska Corn Board. These internships, designed to provide hands-on professional experience, will take the students to various locations across the U.S., working with key cooperators in the corn industry. Pope, an animal science and agricultural communications student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will create video and radio content for the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, focusing on the corn industry and agriculture.
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See the list of graduates from Grand Island Senior High’s Class of 2025.
In the past month Central Nebraska students have earned degrees and diplomas from colleges and universities from across the state.
About 220 incoming and returning students have received scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year at Central Community College-Grand Island.
Kahl Adams, Lizbeth Alviso, Isabel Antillion, Mckenna Benker, Bryan Castaneda, Daniel Cedillo, Cristina Corona, Haley Eutsler, Ryder Fries, So…
Gretchen Brown, Falyn Dimmitt, Ashlyn Donscheski, Emmerson Earl, Brody Kriz, Taylor Kurz, Mason Lockwood, Makenna Mottl, Gatlin Reimers, Gusta…
Sixty-five University of Nebraska-Lincoln students — including two from Central Nebraska — have earned undergraduate certificates in sales excellence and were honored at a May 2 luncheon hosted by the Center for Sales Excellence.
Nine UNK students recently competed at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas. They’re pictured with adviser Theresa Yaw, a lecturer in the UNK College of Business and Technology.
Adam Knapp
Lydia Ziemba
Jaylea Pope
Gracie Conrad
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