I'm a Husker &

Sophomore Alexander Pena Ibanez, treasurer of Out of the Darkness UNL, wants more students to open up about their mental health needs. By being honest about how we're feeling, we can all help each other find the resources, people and spaces we need that can get us feeling healthier.

Jayda Turner, a sophomore feature twirler for the Cornhusker Marching Band, brings an impressive resume of accolades to Nebraska. Even with all her experience, she knows Memorial Stadium is a stage like no other.

Being a creative media intern for Husker Athletics has helped junior Hudson Carrico better fulfill his duties to the Cornhusker Marching Band — and his duties to all of Husker Nation.

Alanah Charles memorized the number of miles between her Miami hometown and her dorm on campus. It’s a big number, but it’s not making her any less excited to start building a new home at Nebraska.

Korben Ockander, a junior architecture major from Lincoln, talks about how the start of each semester feels like its own homecoming — and serves as an opportunity to discover more on campus.

Everyone has their own unique journey toward finding their Husker home. No one knows this better than Meredith Fontana, who discovered UNL during a pit stop on a family road trip.

Caleb Hans and his Husker Rocketry team spent a year preparing and perfecting their rocket designs for the International Rocket Engineering Competition in Midland, Texas, last July. All that work was set to culminate in two and a half tense minutes when it came time to launch.

Junior communication sciences and disorders student Avery McGee has been assisting with research studies happening in the Learning Lab for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities since the spring. As someone born with cleft lip and palate, she brings personal experience to the work that offers a chance to help people on similar journeys.

Interning for the Academy of Country Music last spring, senior Emily Frech had the opportunity to take a leading role in staging one of the organization’s biggest fundraising events in Las Vegas.

Sophia Rojas, a junior fisheries and wildlife major from Omaha, has taken advantage of study abroad programs to pursue her passion of conservation and management. The experiences helped her secure an internship at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha this summer, working with some of the same animals she encountered in the wild.

Back in high school, juniors Brock Anderson and Logan Hoffman of Lincoln built a business to help place local youth sports officials with games. As Huskers, they brought a new element of their business to the Center for Entrepreneurship’s New Venture Competition, earning both insights and cash prizes for their pitch.

Once a camper herself, senior Alexis Montecuollo is now the outreach coordinator for Camp Kesem, a student-run summer camp for kids dealing with a parents’ cancer diagnosis.