January is National Mentoring Month, and the UNO Alumni Association is celebrating mentors who have guided and supported Mavericks along the way. Mentoring shapes individuals, builds confidence and creates connections that can last a lifetime. Thank you to everyone who has helped make a difference in someone else’s journey.
Thank you, Samantha Clinkinbeard, “Dr. C,” for being one of the SCCJ faculty members who reinforced the fact that even current faculty and mentors had challenging times during their doctoral program journeys. This was a pivotal moment for me at UNO and one of the key factors in whether I would finish my degree.
Dra. Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo — muchas gracias por guiarme siempre por el buen camino de la educación y así lograr esas metas que creía inalcanzables. Un abrazo.
“Dr. Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo — thank you so much for always guiding me down the right path of education and helping me achieve those goals I thought were unattainable. Hugs.”
Dear Dr. Dennis Hansen — you were my guide on the side. Never did you suggest that I could not do something or accomplish it. Your leadership as a mentor and as my boss shaped the next 30 years of my life and career. Your creativity was my inspiration. I ran hard to try to keep up.
Thank you to Dr. Herb Thompson III for being my Honors Program mentor. He played such a major role in helping me achieve my dream of attending law school. First as my public speaking professor and then as my Honors Program mentor, I learned so much through Intergroup Dialogue and genuinely recommend others learn more about the subject. Thank you, Dr. Thompson, for your support and encouragement. You are one of the greatest professors and assets UNO has!
I want to thank not just Professor Paul van Vliet, but all of the faculty and staff of the College of Information Science & Technology. I believe that my past college years have transformed me into a better person, including developing me into a more effective speaker. In addition, I am the first person in my immediate family to receive an MIS degree.
After a long journalism career, Donald Bowen returned to UNO to change paths, eventually joining the faculty and embedding service learning into his teaching to connect students with the community. With Dr. Julie Dierberger’s guidance and support, that commitment to service became a lasting part of his work and life.
Dr. Julie Dierberger was always great to talk with and happy to guide me whenever I had questions, offering her support generously. I will always thank Julie for helping keep the spirit of service alive in me. Thank you, Julie.
John Anstey, thank you for your friendship and mentorship over the years. Your life lessons and teaching were instrumental in my growth and in the growth of hundreds of students.
William Ackerman — thank you for always being supportive and for helping with any roadblocks along the way!
Thank you, Dr. Jeremy White, for guiding me and so many other students in their careers! Your passion and curiosity for wildlife and their environment astound and inspire me. You rock!
Kelly Gomez Johnson — I’ll never forget how you cheered me on when so many people in my life wanted to see me fail. At the time, it truly felt like you were the only person at UNO who was in my corner. I’ll always be grateful to you. Thank you for being an outstanding educator and for believing that I could do hard things!
Thank you so much, Dr. Abby Bjornsen, for being an exceptional advisor, mentor, and pathfinder for me during and after my MS Counseling program at UNO. I celebrate this cross-culturally connected, meaningful mentor-mentee relationship that makes a difference and touches student life.
Dra. Tocaimaza-Hatch, mil gracias por todo lo que ha hecho por mí. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to complete an independent study with you. Your expertise, guidance, and support allowed me to grow in so many different ways.
I was so lucky to walk into Professor Francke’s Intro to Mass Com class 50 years ago. His energy and enthusiasm inspired me to immediately switch from a business track to journalism. In several classes, Warren Francke taught me the fundamentals of newswriting, reporting, and storytelling—skills I used in a long career as a newspaperman and author that began locally at the Nonpareil and World-Herald, led to the NY Daily News, and included many years as a journalism professor at Columbia University. Thank you, Warren, and UNO. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Gone but not forgotten! Dr. Charles Gildersleeve was truly inspirational and student-centered. I miss our talks. Rest in heaven.
Thank you, Professor Charles King, for sharing your knowledge and love of history, for encouraging curiosity, and for believing in me. Thanks to your guidance and support, I’ve been able to (hopefully) do the same for my own students as a history instructor at MCC.
Thank you to Dr. Orville Menard for his mentorship. He helped me in so many ways as I worked through UNO in the early ’80s. He was not just an instructor, but a true friend. I will always appreciate his efforts to support me and my goals. For many years after I moved to Colorado, I made it a point to meet Orv for lunch whenever I returned to Omaha to see my mom. Orv was the best professor and mentor any student could hope for. I miss him to this day.
Professor Dale Stover helped me find the motivation to continue my Native American research. As the head of Native American and Religious Studies, he made me love the subject and his classes.
Maverick Network highlights the power of mentorship within the Maverick community.
This free professional development and networking platform connects UNO alumni and students, creating space to learn from one another, build relationships and grow personally and professionally through mentorship, connection and career resources.