Dominique knows that when things get tough, you need a strong team around you to lift you up. It was true for her as a four-year starter for Nebraska Women’s Basketball, and it was even truer for her as a kid growing up in Lincoln who experienced poverty.
Today, the CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Lincoln/Lancaster County is working to ensure that kids like her have teams around them that help them succeed.
“Giving back to the community has always been really important to me,” Dominique explains. “When I got the chance to do those things as a student athlete, I never took them for granted. I’ve always wanted to be able to empower other people to reach their full potential, so this career opportunity for me just made a lot of sense.”
Today, Boys & Girls Club of Lincoln/Lancaster County works with over 250 Lincoln-area youth each night after school, offering a hot meal, academic support, fun activities and safe place to discover their passions.
“Boys & Girls Club gave me the chance to keep living this mission of service that started at Nebraska. So many of the skills that I learned during my time there help me in the work that I'm doing now: managing my time, being a true team player, listening and receiving feedback from my staff and implementing new ideas. I take a lot of pride in these things, and a lot of them started when I was in college.”
Expanding on those skills, Dominique and her team create positive, accessible spaces for hundreds of teens throughout the city and take a huge burden off families with few options for after school engagement.
For Dominique, every impact is personal.
“I was one of those kids that utilized after school programming because my mom was working multiple jobs to support us, so I know firsthand how imperative our organization is. We know that for families to just have a safe place for their kids to be, to have quality programming and to have access to hot meals is crucial — for some kids, the meal they receive from us might be the last meal they receive until they return to school the next day.”
Giving back to my hometown community has always been really important to me. When I got the chance to do those things as a student athlete, I never took them for granted. I’ve always wanted to be able to empower other people to reach their full potential, so this career opportunity for me just made a lot of sense.
The Husker star has kept her alma mater close as she’s developed new programs at Boys & Girls Club. Naturally, sports play a big role.
"We do several things with our afterschool programming in partnership with the university, including a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs for a new summer sports camp focused on giving kids access to a summer sports camp they might not otherwise have. The university is still very special to me, and I'm so grateful for my time as a Husker.”
