August 14, 2026
Nick Stefanik, a sophomore studying political science, was once intimidated by the uncertainty of the college experience. Now, as a 2026 New Student Enrollment orientation leader, he is helping incoming students overcome the same uncertainty with confidence.
Three years ago, no one in my family, including me, had ever stepped foot in Nebraska. I had spent 18 years growing up in Elburn, Illinois, a town in the Chicago metro area — an area that has a population around four times that of the entire state of Nebraska.
At the time, I was exploring options for where I wanted to attend college. After touring a few colleges around my home state, nothing seemed to fit yet. I knew I wanted to do political science (after making a major switch from being an aspiring architect) and would like to attend a larger school — but nothing too crazy. One day, while doing homework for one of my senior-year classes, my mom suggested that we tour the University of Nebraska.
This was a random suggestion to me. Admittedly, I did not even know the school was in Lincoln until we drove past Omaha (where I thought the school was). As soon as I completed my Red Letter Day tour, I knew it was the place for me. I applied, was admitted and completed all the new student enrollment steps.
Like most students, I was anxious to not only begin, but for everything to feel comfortable. This started even before I moved in August. When I was a kid, I would get homesick at sleepovers that were at a friend's house literally just down the street. I would miss my family and home, even if it was just for a few hours. This by itself made me worried about what college life would bring. I would be seven hours away, surrounded by all new people, with a random roommate whom I briefly talked to over Instagram about who would bring what. How would I manage to make myself comfortable, and how long would it take?
One August day, my family packed up our car with everything I would need — well, at least until I needed my winter clothes, which I would get at Thanksgiving break. Wearing our recently bought Nebraska attire, we began the 478-mile drive. That was the point where my nerves began to grow stronger, but so did the excitement. The whole ride, I was thinking about who I would meet and what I would do once I got there, all with continued anxiousness. We arrived on campus and began the move-in process, and I said goodbye to my family.
I had not looked at what my week would look like once I moved into my new home. As my parents walked out, my randomly-assigned roommate, Bernardo, walked in. He was from Brazil, so he was also experiencing a new home far away from his own. He started talking about all these events that were going on that week, and how he had already met and hung out with our resident assistant, Logan.
The process of becoming comfortable in my dorm room started in that very moment. Looking back on it, the residence halls create a “built-in community” for students — people going through the same thing, while all having different backgrounds. The first few days after move-in, I kept my door open while I was there. I lived in Sandoz Hall, a traditional-style residence hall. Every time someone else on my floor walked by, they would stop in and introduce themselves. Building that community, even with something as small as keeping your door open, worked for me. These were the guys that I would go eat dinner with during welcome week, hang out in their rooms and, of course, go to the welcome week events with.
I had heard and known about the “standard college welcome” events but was unsure of what that would look like at Nebraska. As someone who was naturally shy, I was hesitant to go to these events by myself — and I didn’t even know where to begin to look for them. Thankfully, because I had met the other guys on my floor, we would go to these events together. The first one I ever attended was Playfair, a giant icebreaker game. This is where I realized that there were so many other out-of-state students at the university. I met people from North Dakota, Florida, Oregon and so many other places. I even met a few others who were from around my hometown.
At another Big Red Welcome event, I started to get involved with clubs on campus. I had done student government and community service throughout my life and wanted to find a way to continue it in college. I stumbled upon the Association of Students at the University of Nebraska (ASUN) booth at the Street Festival, held on the Sunday after move-in. I mustered up the ability to go up and talk to these random people (who are now some of my best friends!) and learned about opportunities to get involved. I am still heavily involved in this organization and was recently elected as a senator for my college, something freshman-year Nick would not have believed.
Going to these events and meeting people on my dorm floor truly shaped my view of my college experience. This all happened before the first day of class, so I created an incredible foundation for myself that made my new home feel more comfortable. Once I was comfortable there, I took it upon myself to get out and explore Lincoln, finding coffee shops to study at, parks to go to with friends and great places to eat. This enhanced my experience being away from home and made me see that I was now part of this community.
Wherever you come from or whatever your experience is, moving away can be intimidating. It is the major change students face in their lives. My experience of being proactive and meeting the people on my residence hall floor, as well as attending the Big Red Welcome events, created the perfect foundation for my experience at Nebraska. I went from being homesick everywhere I went and not knowing what city the University of Nebraska was located to now going into my third year at the university — cherishing every moment and thanking everyone involved for making this my new home.
As always, GO BIG RED!