I was at the Nebraska Ag Youth Institute on east campus for a week and the things I saw in CASNR were things I wanted to be a part of. 

I am a first generation college student. I came to school with a completely open mind and had no idea what to expect.  I've found resources in the classroom that prepare me for my career, but truly the experiences outside the classroom prepared me even more.  Being a part of leadership groups or clubs on campus gives me the chance to travel and meet more people than you'd think possible.  It's through many of these connections that I've gone on job shadows, met leaders in the ag industry, and traveled to D.C., Jacksonville, Laramie, Kansas City, and even New Zealand.

CASNR feels so much like home.  They do a great job of acclimating students to their new environment.

CASNR is my difference maker.  All through high school I told myself going to a big school wasn't for me.  After graduating high school with 35, the thought of a living in a big city worried me and I didn't want to be just a number.  CASNR completely changed those stigmas and concerns.  At CASNR and on East Campus, the dean waves driving by, people look you in the eye, a handshake means something, strangers say hello, and I'm surrounded by people who share my connection to agriculture.  There's something special happening here on East Campus.  It's the atmosphere of students and faculty that make it great.  CASNR feels like home.  I love having to leave a few minutes early for class knowing I'll stop and talk to one of the many familiar faces on the sidewalk.  I love the trees in the fall, studying outside in the spring, and the endless supply of Dairy Store ice cream at my fingertips. I love that CASNR leadership listens to their students and dreams big, because it makes me dream even BIGGER.

For me, the best thing I've made the choice to be involved with is the Engler Entrepreneurship Program.  Tom Field and Dave Lambe are mentors of mine, and you can tell they love working with students.  Not only in school but in my personal development.  I think differently about my world because of this program.

I love that I have a network of friends and peers across the entire state and even the U.S.