Alumni Stories
Alumna launches alternative protein business
Cheryl Powers ‘87 raises livestock that is like no other. Instead of grazing on verdant pastures, her six-legged creatures slither and crawl over each other in plastic trays, munching on wheat bran…
Zarek ’15 uses data to help Nebraska thrive
As chief data officer at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Jennifer Zarek ’15 works behind the scenes, crunching numbers and analyzing data, to boost her home state and ensure Nebraska continues…
Alumna finds intersection between women writers, the environment
Katharine “Kate” Taylor ’18 developed a passion for the environment growing up in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, a harsh yet beautiful landscape of mountains, sand dunes, desert plains and hot springs. At…
Using his strengths, Agagah strives to become the best coach possible
Travis Agagah, a 2018 Hastings College graduate and a current Hastings College MAT student and grad assistant, had the opportunity to get hands-on coaching experience through his summer internship with Creighton University…
Alumnus helps diversify library profession
Orlando “Lando” Archibeque ‘76 admits that when he applied to be a student employee at Perkins Library his sophomore year at Hastings College, his primary motivation was escaping his dishwashing job in…
Hastings College grad invites tourists back to the Old West
With its 30-foot-tall, two-dimensional Buffalo Bill Cody figure looming over a replica frontier stockade, Fort Cody Trading Post in North Platte, Nebraska, is a wonderland of Wild West history and classic roadside…
Four recent Hastings College grads heading to seminary to pursue ministry, lives of service
Four Hastings College graduates who were influenced by the sense of community they felt on campus are seeking lives of service through seminary school. Mandi Hawthorne ‘19, Eboni Nash ‘19, John Rohweder…
Nilsen benefits her community in more ways than one
Lottie (Fryer) Nilsen, a 1995 Hastings College graduate, was awarded the James H Nobil Professional Achievement Award for her actions with The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County in Boca Raton,…
Alumnus advocates for Nebraska’s children
JohnCarl Denkovich ends every email with these words from 19th century social reformer and orator Frederick Douglass: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken [adults].” The quotation is…
Schlichtman works with gaming company to normalize the hospital experience
Austin Schlichtman began his career as a child life specialist which, interestingly enough, led him to write a children’s book to help explain death before switching roles to work with The Bungie…
From two to twenty nine: The artist, the elm and the educator
It was an elm, wizened by years, roots below grown deep and weighty in Hastings College soil, branches wide above offering shady embrace, and it greeted all—students, alumni, families—from its post at…
Hastings College graduates work behind scenes to keep Omaha Symphony moving
The Omaha Symphony produces 40 concerts a season, and it’s made possible in part thanks to three Hastings College graduates who work behind the scenes. Diane (Knapp) Coffin ‘86, Jennifer (Gray) Kreitz-Couch…
‘A professor, a father, a friend,’ Bohmfalk set to retire
Dr. John Bohmfalk has a special knack for adding heart to the rather analytical world of biochemistry. His joyful, compassionate temperament, enthusiastic teaching style and occasional eccentricities have helped decades of Hastings…
Darling ’03 helps others find joy in giving
You might think that Matt Darling ‘03, vice president of donor services at the Omaha Community Foundation, works exclusively with CEO’s, business executives and other members of the “top 1 percent.” But…
In retirement, Phelps to answer new old question
Doug Phelps, a 1981 and 1989 (MAT) Hastings College graduate and an associate professor of Teacher Education, is retiring after 17 years at the College. At HC, he taught science methods courses…
Video: Diffendaffer ’12 uses 3D motion capture to analyze athletic performance
Hastings College graduate Alek Diffendaffer ’12 uses 3D motion capture to analyze athletic performance for injury prevention. He majored in exercise science at Hastings College and said his classes gave him the…
