“It’s a chance to get to know them before they go to high school,” he said, already imagining how they might fit in his program, maybe as an alto in the choir, a sound technician for a concert or a cast member in a future musical.

That instinct to connect with students and help them find their place has defined Ronne’s career. A 1993 ���Ĵ�ý graduate with a degree in K-12 music education, he has spent decades helping students discover their talents in music, whether it’s on stage or behind the scenes.

At Scottsbluff High, Ronne leads three choirs for grades 9 through 12 and a show choir. Each spring, he directs the annual musical, an anticipated event that attracts more than 2,000 students, parents and community members over four performances. This year’s production is, fittingly, “High School Musical on Stage!,” based on the popular Disney Channel movie where “jocks, thespians and brainiacs” navigate cliques and discover their passions.

“We’re in the home stretch of the rehearsals,” Ronne said, noting the demanding schedule of full-cast and crew rehearsals four times a week as opening night approaches. “It gets crazy busy, but it’s fun.”

The musicals are a special treat for the beautiful but somewhat isolated plains city of 14,000 in Western Nebraska. “Musicals are a huge tradition in Scottsbluff, and the community really comes out for them,” Ronne said. “It’s not just parents whose kids are in the production. The whole community loves to come to the shows.”

Ronne earned a master’s degree in teaching technology from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and those skills come in handy during school musicals and concerts. He also shares what he learned directly with Scottsbluff’s students, building a music tech program that started small two decades ago with one course and a humble recording studio.

“It was kind of thrown together in a closet,” he recalled. “But it was a fun course where kids could be creative, even kids who wouldn’t join choir or band.”

Over the years, the music tech program gained momentum, and when a new high school was built in 2017 using a career academy model, administrators saw its potential. Today, Scottsbluff boasts a dedicated computer lab connected to a full recording studio, with three levels of courses. Students learn everything from audio production to stage lighting and live sound, and hone their skills at school performances.

Beyond Scottsbluff, Ronne has expanded music opportunities to other schools. From his 13 years teaching K-12 music in Mitchell (Nebraska) before joining Scottsbluff High in 2006, he saw that students in smaller, rural schools have fewer opportunities to explore music at a higher level. Following the pandemic, he launched the Panhandle Festival Choir, an annual event that brings together 300 high school singers from Western Nebraska to perform with top-tier guest conductors.

“It’s proven to be a good shot in the arm for our area schools,” he said.

Ronne’s influence has extended even more broadly through the Nebraska Ambassadors of Music European Tour, in which he served five times as staff and conductor. Nominated high school choir and band members — many from rural communities — perform across six or seven countries, including stops in London and Paris.

“They get to perform in some amazing places,” he said.

Ronne has been recognized numerous times for his leadership and vision. In 2019, he was named Outstanding Music Educator of the Year by Nebraska’s National Federation of State High School Associations. He also received last year’s Champions for Coaches Award for Vocal Music from the Nebraska School Activities Association.

Throughout his career, Ronne has maintained strong ties to ���Ĵ�ý, encouraging students to participate in its honor festivals and “Messiah” performances. Many of his own students have gone on to study at HC.

“At Hastings, I definitely got a solid foundation in technique and theory,” he said. “But there was also a real investment of professors into students. They loved making music and passing that on to us.”

He points to mentors like Robin Koozer, Chip Smith, Ruth Moore, Hillary Watter and Jim Johnson as lasting influences. Their passion for music guides Ronne’s work today.

“I love seeing students come alive as their confidence builds. That keeps me really excited about doing it,” he said.

Ronne recalls one student who joined choir later in high school, initially lacking confidence but steadily growing in self-assurance. When she graduated, she shared a message he has never forgotten: “Thank you for helping me find my voice.”

“Things like that are powerful,” he said. “They inspire you to keep going.”

By Judee Konen ’85

“My small town roots are the thing that has always kept me grounded,” Vondra said. “No matter where I worked or traveled, I always knew home – the place that shaped my character.”

A marketing and communications double major at ���Ĵ�ý, Vondra participated on the volleyball and softball teams, served on the student executive council and public relations council, and worked in the admissions office. She recalls her time on campus as an incredible chapter with a loving, enriching community.

“The people and opportunities challenged me to become a lifelong learner,” Vondra said.

After graduation, Vondra lived in Denver for two years before retracing her roots back to Nebraska.

She and her spouse, Jeremiah, who will be married 25 years this coming June, live in Crete, and opened Vondra Veterinary Clinic in 2007, where Jeremiah is a veterinarian. Their daughter, Tori ‘25, is following her father’s footsteps and pursuing her doctorate of veterinary medicine through a joint program with the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University. Son, Quinlan, is a sophomore at Wayne State College, studying manufacturing and construction management.

Vondra spent most of her adult life chasing significance and validation from the world, working with industries and well-known brands in her career. In 2013, she joined Cabela’s on the financial services side of the business; during the next five years, she grew exponentially and advanced into a leadership role. By 2018, Cabela’s was acquired by Bass Pro Shops, resulting in many of Vondra’s work family being displaced, furloughed or unemployed. While she was one of 40 asked to stay on during the company’s transition, she also found herself working 60- to 80-hour weeks to convert half a century’s worth of work within less than 18 months.

“As much as I hate to say it, my work owned me,” Vondra said. “When we finally navigated through 2018 and 2019, we thought, ‘2020 will be the year everything normalizes.’ There was no leadership manual or class that could prepare us for taking our teams through 2020,” she said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the calendar flipped to 2021, what Vondra had hoped would be a more promising, optimistic year, was one that she said “rocked her to the core and transformed her.”

Within the first few weeks of the new year, her father was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and passed away just two and a half weeks following his diagnosis. Daughter, Tori, was involved in a serious car accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury.

“He was the anchor of our family, life of the party and my protector,” Vondra said of her father. “Losing my dad was hard, but [Tori’s accident] was unimaginable. Suddenly, the title, the salary, the schedule seemed to have little meaning as I reflected on God’s purpose for my life.”

Remarkably, Tori made a full recovery. But as Jody returned to the corporate scene, she realized that she wanted to have a greater impact on the world.

“I started to share my story with others, and it connected with people,” Vondra said. “God slowly started to reveal to me that maybe this pain and heartache had a purpose much greater than I could imagine. He has used my struggles and failures as my greatest growth and learning opportunities.”

And with that, Vondra stepped away from her corporate career and invested her life helping others experience God’s love and discover the best version of themselves through the founding of Perspective Elevation, L.L.C., where she implements leadership & growth training with individuals, teams and organizations. She has spoken at numerous events across the country and will travel to Washington, D.C., this fall to speak with leaders in healthcare.

“I believe people matter and everyone holds value,” Vondra said. “Life is a series of mountains and valleys. We learn who we are in the valley and discover who we want to become looking from the mountaintop.”

Vondra has also written a book, “The Country Road Perspective: Finding Purpose in the Journey,” in which she talks about life’s challenges and finding value and purpose in the least expected places. Her book is available for purchase on Amazon.

By Kendra Bargen ‘04

Now retired with her husband Jeff Jacoby ‘91 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Jacoby grew up in Wyoming, where she heard the call to teach at an early age.

“I remember propping up my dolls on a sewing table and teaching them. My brother, cousin and I would play school, and I always wanted to be the teacher,” she said. “Growing up on a farm and ranch, I even tried to teach the cows when they walked up to the fence.”

Her interests led her to ���Ĵ�ý, where one of her first professors, Dr. Ladd Cochrane, made an impression she carried for decades: “He told us, ‘If you’re in it for the money, get out, because you have to love to do this.’”

And love it, she did. “Every year I had a new group of kids. Every year was different,” she said.

Lessons learned in the field

At ���Ĵ�ý, Jacoby and her fellow education majors were immersed in K-12 classrooms early on.

“Right from our freshman year, we had education courses. Sophomore year, we were out observing elementary, middle and high schools. Junior year, we were actually starting to work with kids,” she said.

A defining experience came when professor Jan Watkins took the teacher education students to Kansas City, Kansas, on a multi-cultural education trip. The group visited inner-city schools and churches and even grocery stores in poor and wealthy neighborhoods to experience the class divide.

Intrigued by the experience, Jacoby chose to student teach in Kansas City through the Cooperative Urban Teacher Education program, which provided placement in an inner-city school and housing. The contrast with her rural upbringing was stark.

“It was eye-opening,” she said. “I grew up in a farming community of 110 people, and suddenly I was in an open-concept school with no walls and a diverse student population.”

That experience later helped her secure a position at Swanson Elementary in Omaha. “They chose me because of my experience in the inner-city school,” Jacoby said.

Other college courses sparked her passion for experiential learning. She drew inspiration from faculty like Gilbert Adrian who took her biology class to the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma.

“I remember walking through a field with him, and he knew the scientific name of every plant. He even told me I could eat one of the flowers,” she said with a laugh.

Equally formative were lessons learned from professors who challenged her. In a language arts education course with Dr. Jeanene Haldeman, Jacoby earned a B after spending more of her time on a difficult philosophy course.

“Professor Haldeman told me, ‘I know you could have done better.’ That was the best lesson ever as a teacher because I learned I can’t compare one student to another in terms of their work or abilities,” she said. “I have to compare the students to themselves.”

Adapting and creating

Jacoby’s teaching career spanned several states, shaped in part by her husband, who worked in the funeral home business. After several years in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the couple moved to Berlin, New Hampshire, where Jacoby walked into a Catholic school looking for a preschool for her daughter, and walked out with a fifth-grade job offer.

“I had an interview right then and there with my daughter in tow,” she said.

Over 12 years in Berlin and, later, Colebrook, New Hampshire, Jacoby taught multiple grades, using her liberal arts background to fuel her creativity. She took her fifth-graders to Plymouth, Massachusetts, to see the full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower and organized an Underground Railroad simulation through school hallways.

Jacoby also sought out new methods when she felt students weren’t getting what they needed. While teaching in a school that relied heavily on basal reading, she attended a guided reading workshop on her own.

“I decided to use a guided reading approach where I was working with different groups on the skills they needed to learn,” she said. “It was a new way of doing things.”

Wanting to be closer to family, the Jacobys returned to Cheyenne, where she taught another 13 years, navigating every grade from kindergarten through sixth.

Jacoby retired to Myrtle Beach in 2023 and now spends her time scrapbooking, visiting daughters Madeline and Abigail and daughter-in-law Laura, and supporting current teachers through Alpha Delta Kappa women’s education sorority. An avid runner, she’s completed six marathons and numerous races, including a 15K last summer in Versailles, France.

Thinking back to her years in the classroom, Jacoby is certain she chose the right path.

“In teaching, you help children grow educationally and emotionally. If you love working with children, you can’t have a more rewarding career,” she said.

By Judee Konen ’85

Harriott lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Marisa Mendez, a postpartum doula and chef, and their seven year old son, Alton.

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

1. When a client reaches out to Gray V for music curation, what are they seeking? What issues are they solving for that online platforms like Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube cannot provide?

A client who reaches out to Gray V is looking for curation with a personal touch. If you run a restaurant, you can call someone specifically about your silverware issues, but you can’t call Spotify or YouTube and ask them to take the explicit version of “Still D.R.E.” out of its ‘90s Hip Hop playlist because it’s playing during Sunday brunch. The music and the atmosphere of the space has become just as important to the branding of these spaces as the food, architecture and staff these days.

2. How does a typical week at work play out for you?

I’m in charge of making sure that we have enough interesting music for clients who have very unique and specific genre requests, so I spend most of the day pouring through music catalogs—”looking for the perfect beat,” so to speak.

For example, one of our favorite clients is the world famous sushi restaurant Makoto. The location in Miami plays nothing but reggae music made between the years of 1965 and 1980. In the evening, the music switches, and they want it to sound like “a club scene in an episode of ‘Miami VIce.’” I’m the guy who hunts for that music.

I have hundreds of clients like that around the world, so on any given week, I’ll get an update from work that will say something to the effect of “Makoto needs more rock steady 70s reggae and 80s synth pop music that isn’t Madonna. Can you find 6 hours worth of music?”

Yes I can. 🙂

3. Describe your music selection process.

For brand new clients that are onboarding with us, I put together sample lists for them to make sure that we’re on the same page. From there, I expand the lists and build them out.

We’re typically shooting for 3 or 4 days of music without repeats. It’s a lot of hours, especially if it’s a hotel or a retail store. We do that so employees don’t go crazy.

Because of people having more access to music thanks to the streaming services, people’s tastes have expanded. When we get unique musical direction, it’s really cool to be able to execute it and then see the client and the customers react to it in a positive way.

4. How do you keep your music selections fresh? What keeps you inspired?

I’ve been obsessed with music since I was eight years old, and that’s carried on into my adult life. That cliche about finding a job you’d do for free and then get paid for it? That’s basically me. I’m a living testimony of that old chestnut.

5. What experiences at ���Ĵ�ý and elsewhere prepared you for this career?

My experiences at ���Ĵ�ý were the reason I was able to go to NYC mere WEEKS after my graduation to start work in the music industry. I was the music director of KFKX (RIP), did a ton of theatre, was a member of the prestigious forensics team, wrote record reviews for the Collegian and booked some punk rock shows on campus in the ‘90s. (We were THIIIIS close to getting Weezer to play HC for $8,000 in 1996.)

When I wanted to intern in NYC the summer of ’95, my resume stood out from the pack, and I wasn’t intimidated by the workload once I got to New York. By the time I came back to finish my senior year in the fall of ’95, CMJ offered me a job as a writer and booker of talent for their prestigious four-day music festival in 1996. This offer came to me before I even got my fall class schedule! Luckily, It was waiting for me six months later when I graduated.

There aren’t a lot of colleges that are dedicated to pushing hands-on experience to you like ���Ĵ�ý, and it paid off when it came time to shift to a professional career.

6. How does your lucrative side hustle — DJing — feed into your work? How does your work feed into your side hustle?

My side hustle was actually my full-time hustle for a long time. I started DJing in New York around 1997 as a fun hobby, and it just so happened that Lenny Kravitz was at the second gig ever did in New York. He approached me, said he loved my music and asked if I wanted to play the album release party for his breakout album “5.”

Someone at that party asked me to DJ his club the next week. I accepted, and so went the next 20 years of my life!

Once I got married and had a child, I didn’t really want to be on the road as much. This opportunity to work for Gray V full time came up, and I jumped at the chance.

DJing is basically curating a night for a bunch of crazed dancers night after night, so the transition from DJing to music curation wasn’t a large stretch. It helps to be curious, respectful, a scholar and, most importantly, completely in love with ALL types of music from every genre and era.

7. If you were curating a playlist of your life, what 5-10 songs would it include?

This changes daily, but as of this moment, I’d say:

• Digable Planets – ”Jettin’”
• Stevie Wonder – ”Jesus Children of America”
• Crazy P – “One True Light”
• Jems! – ”Flights”
• John Coltrane – ”Giant Steps”
• Sault – ”WIldfires”
• Eurythmics – ”Beethoven (I love to Listen to)”
• Brenda Russell – ”Lucky”
• Yaya Bey – ”Chasing the Bus”
• AC/DC – ”A Shot in the Dark”

By Alicia O’Donnell ‘96

Johnson, who works at Windsor High School, developed a passion for leading as he graduated from ���Ĵ�ý with a science and biology education degree. He wanted to mentor and coach in some way and was offered a position to teach and coach at Buena Vista High School in Buena Vista Colorado, where he spent two years mentoring students and athletes.

“I believe every good coach is a teacher, so it was important and exciting to be able to provide that mentorship and leadership to them, both in and out of the classroom; on and off the field,” Johnson said.

Johnson then spent seven years at Windsor Middle School before he transitioned to high school.

His goals for Windsor High School all center around a main theme: creating an involved and supportive school culture. The idea came to him while in administration at the middle school, and the concept of mentorship had stemmed before he began teaching. Playing baseball for the Broncos, he saw the coaching and dedication that was part of the team’s leadership. It made such an impression that it stuck with him all these years later.

“The goal was to help the middle school students reignite their excitement to learn again. In today’s era, there isn’t a fire to learn and create, there’s a lack of support for the kids to be curious about their education. So I wanted to continue re-sparking that same feeling for the high school students,” he said.

By focusing on the care and concern protocol enforced by the school’s acronym STAR (Strength, Trust, Accountability, and Respect), Johnson and other staff can gauge whether students’ engagement and response to faulty learning styles are adequate.

On the athletics side, Johnson has been preparing both coaches and athletes as they began this year in a new, bigger class division, meaning they’ll compete against larger schools of a higher caliber.

Johnson said he’s been working with coaches to strengthen team culture and community involvement by starting the Captains Club.

“Captains Club has regular meetings with team captains to get a sense of what’s going on with each team dynamic and if there’s conflict and how to overcome that together as a student athletic body,” he said.

Different schools, same vision

Lanter, who works at Severance High School, graduated from Hastings with a bachelor’s degree in studio art and art education. She found her first opportunity in her hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she taught for eight years, then spent a brief year teaching in Texas before moving closer to home.

After returning home, Lanter found a position with Windsor High School. This best suited her needs being the location and her desire to teach art and coach softball and track. She worked at Windsor High School for the next eight years as an art teacher and coach and was heavily encouraged by supportive Windsor colleagues to pursue her master’s in administration.

Later, she applied for and was offered the assistant principal and athletic director position at Severance. This is Lanter’s second year working in administration at Severance.

Although no longer at Windsor, Lanter still has strong connections to Windsor High School. She partners with Eric Johnson or as she calls him, “EJ,” in helping her balance the life of athletic director and assistant principal. She refers to Johnson as her “district counterpart” who keeps her from losing her head amidst the chaos the job throws at her.

Attending most student events is Lanter’s’ key to a collective and supportive student body.

“Senior nights, homecoming games, late night basketball games or cross country meets, I do my best to attend every event, but I also have a supportive administrative team that steps up when I need support to be with my family. We want to show not only the students, but the families, that the administration and the staff are always rooting for them,” Lanter said.

Lanter herself was an athlete during her time at ���Ĵ�ý, primarily as a softball and volleyball player, so she knew what it meant to athletes that have a supportive community rooting and cheering you on. After she tore her ACL her freshman year while playing softball, and undergoing a second minor surgery with copious amounts of physical therapy her direction changed — sacrificing volleyball to play softball and focusing more on her degree in art education.

Severance High School is still relatively new — it opened in 2019.  Lanter said she’s made it a goal to put the school on the community’s radar.

“Since the school is so new it has endured many turnovers in leadership and staff, it’s up to us to model expectations we have for Severance and hold parents, students and staff accountable for their own involvement with the school. We also want to assure the community that we are here to stay and we are here for the success of everyone here at Severance High School,” Lanter said.

By promoting more athletic recognition amongst students, launching new mural projects to liven up the halls of the school, and continually strengthening the brand identity of the school, Lanter said she plans to continue getting the school’s name out into the community.

The time spent by both Johnson and Lanter at ���Ĵ�ý, both academically and as student-athletes played a crucial role in shaping their understanding of the significance of community and what it means to foster a positive culture. These experiences now guide them in their roles as leaders and mentors, contributing to creating more cohesive and interconnected communities within their respective schools.

By Cecilia Velarde, a junior marketing and communication studies double major from Loveland, Colorado

Everyone’s Irish once a year—or, at least, they like to think they are. That’s what Corey Johnson ‘88 has observed playing in the band Keep Britain Irish for over 15 years.

Many initial band member connections were made at ���Ĵ�ý, he said, including Jamey Evans ‘89 and Steve Brosius ‘92.

“My wife thinks there’s one degree of separation between everything at HC,” Johnson said.

That only scratches the surface of his Bronco network. Johnson’s parents and grandmother are all alumni, and his father (Duane “Bear” Johnson ’57) directed the ���Ĵ�ý bands for 33 years. All three of Johnson’s siblings also went to HC, as well as his niece and nephew. Coincidentally, Robin Koozer ‘76 was also Johnson’s high school choir director.

This story originally appeared in .

While Johnson has always considered himself primarily a vocalist, he also grew up playing other instruments, including the trumpet, french horn and guitar. This strong musical foundation led him to participate in both choir and band ensembles at HC, where he studied religion and sociology.

“One of the highlights of the choir career there was that we went and performed at the Avery Fisher Hall in a mass choir doing Verdi’s ‘Messa da Requiem,’” he said. The Avery Fisher Hall in New York City is the home to the New York Philharmonic.

Music continued to play a strong role throughout Johnson’s life, even when he had an office job. After graduating, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he worked at an adolescent shelter and then Denver Human Services. During his 28 years at the DHS, he performed in weddings and played in a band with his coworkers called the Uncivil Servants.

In 2008, Johnson reconnected with college buddies, including Evans and Brosius, jamming out together in an unfinished basement. Among many different musical tastes, they found a common ground in Irish pub music.

For Johnson, the blending of instruments and harmonies in Irish music are what draw him to the genre. These characteristics also lend a “singalong” quality to it.

“It’s always great when you’re at a gig and you see people singing along with you,” he said.

The name — Keep Britain Irish — is something they came up with so long ago that the origin is almost forgotten. Instead of making a bold political statement, it’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek and punchy.

“It’s more kinda cheeky…the whole idea of the name was, it was to be kind of provocative and ironic,” Johnson said. “Most of the time we just shorten it to KBI.”

The band members kept playing together, and after some encouragement, KBI had its first public debut on March 17, 2008—St. Patrick’s Day.

Unsurprisingly, the Irish-American holiday is always what draws in the largest crowds, Johnson said.

“For us it’s always been our best day of the year. It’s always when we have our largest audience,” he said. “We’ve played for the Denver St. Patty’s day population. It’s a high-energy, high-exposure day for us.”

KBI, which still has four of its original members, now includes Johnson, vocalist, mandolinist, harmonicist and penny whistler; Evans, vocalist and rhythm guitarist; Brosius, percussionist; Jake Stoudenmire, bassist; and Aaron Langton, guitarist.

Leading the party

The group has evolved over the years to incorporate more than traditional Irish pub songs. The band’s set lists now encompass an eclectic mix including covers from Tom Petty, The Who, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Lukas Nelson and Chris Stapleton. Also in the mix are a few original KBI songs that Johnson and another band member wrote.

Through the variety of genres, the through line is the band’s mission statement to “lead the party.”

“There’s people that have their favorite traditional Irish songs, you see them singing along, you’re doing like a Flogging Molly song, Irish punk style, you see people singing with that. You see people sing ‘Galway Girl’ by Steve Earle,” Johnson said. “We choose songs people are familiar with…songs people instantly recognize.”

The band has also slowed down its performance schedule somewhat over the years. Gone are the days of performing a “St. Patty’s Run” of three to five shows the week of St. Patrick’s Day — “Our voices and our bodies don’t hold up.”

Over the past summer, KBI’s monthly performance schedule included an appearance at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

What keeps the band going after all these years is the simple connecting power of music and the energy of the crowds, Johnson said.

“Every time we get up there (on stage) it just reminds us of why we enjoy doing it,” he said.

These connections radiate out to the venues and communities they perform in. It’s been another form of the “HC connection” for Johnson.

“Another thing that’s been great is the connections with other ���Ĵ�ý people. We have a lot of HC people who come to our shows that we stay connected with,” he said. “Music brings out something that is very unifying.”

Editors note: Follow along with KBI at and .

By Emily Case-Buskirk ‘14

When Shernan Holtan ’98 first lifted a barbell in 2013, she had started a new job at the University of Minnesota Medical School and wanted to regain her fitness after the grueling years of a medical residency and fellowship. “I found that learning new strength-based skills was incredibly therapeutic,” she said.

This story originally appeared in .

Under the guidance of a coach, Holtan pursued powerlifting—a discipline consisting of the deadlift, squat and bench press—multiple times a week. She completed 10- to 12-week-long programs that incorporated complementary movements according to a concept known as progressive overload. After years of working on these strength programs, she became quite strong, setting a national powerlifting record in the squat in 2019.

The internal rewards were greater than the external rewards, however. As she gained strength, Holtan noticed changes in how she handled stress and tension.

“My sleep and resilience improved. I developed a greater sense of self-efficacy. Barriers to accomplish almost anything were lower,” she explained.

In addition, the technical aspect of weightlifting appealed to her.

“The lifts require intense focus—so much so that you have to put the worries of the day aside. There is always more to learn about the movements and about yourself. The process of refining and improving never ends, inside or outside of the gym,” she said.

This revelation is one Holtan knows well as an academic physician. Medical research evolves over time, and the quest for better outcomes persists, especially in high-stakes specialities like hematology. Holtan zeroed in on blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) while at the University of Nebraska Medical School, where she graduated in 2003.

“I was fascinated to learn that some cancers could be cured using a donor immune system,” she recalled.

However, BMT patients are at serious risk for a complication called graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, where the donor’s immune system attacks the patient’s cells and tissues. “GVHD can be devastating and fatal, and I committed my career to finding better treatments and prevention so more people could safely undergo BMT,” she said.

She recently co-led a phase III study testing a new drug regimen that dramatically reduces the incidence of severe GVHD. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June and are already changing practice around the world.

“It’s been amazing to watch this new era of transplantation dawn before my eyes,” Holtan said. “We can now shift focus to other toxicities and develop better ways to support patients.”

Building a community

With weightlifting positively affecting her life, Holtan championed its benefits in the clinic. While new drug regimens undoubtedly advance medical care, she recognized that more could be done to boost patients’ resilience.

“I wanted my BMT patients to have the same opportunity to improve their muscle mass and overall health within a supportive community,” she said.

Holtan and a group of colleagues launched an annual “Marrow on the Move” celebration that supports patients undergoing blood or marrow transplantation or other cell therapies. The summertime event, which now has an online participation option, brings patients, their families and the medical community together for a run and other exercises.

Holtan and her colleagues also promote a “Marrow-Thon” challenge for patients admitted to the hospital for a transplant or cell therapy. Those who complete a full or half marathon during their hospital stay win prizes and see their names added to a wall of fame.

These fitness programs have motivated patients, families and providers.

“We continue to think of new ways to encourage people to maintain or build their muscle mass during and after cancer treatment, including developing safe strength-training programs for people with low platelet counts and using virtual reality games that may help patients exercise when hospitalized or when they cannot safely go to a gym,” she said.

In addition to her position as associate professor of medicine, Holtan chairs the Allogeneic Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Disease Oriented Committee at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She is the principal investigator of the university’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network, which has conducted numerous prevention, therapy and prognosis studies.

A native of Gering, Nebraska, Holtan and her husband Kirk are the proud parents of two teenagers who now regularly train with their mom’s coach. “It’s fun to watch them experience mental and physical growth through strength training,” Holtan said.

By Holly (Hoe) Auten ‘98

“My main focus right now is building relationships and meeting as many people as I can to learn more about fine arts education in the state,” said Talarico, who began the position in June. “I’ve been focused on the Omaha Metro area for the past 23 years, and I’m now learning about many great things happening in the rest of the state, too.”

The Wilber, Nebraska native, who earned his bachelor of music degree in K-12 music education from ���Ĵ�ý and master of music degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha, is part of the Office of Teaching, Learning and Assessment. The office provides leadership, service and support to public and non-public schools in various content areas, including the fine arts, which comprise music, theatre, visual arts, media arts and dance. Talarico became involved with the office as a teacher serving on the writing committee for statewide fine arts standards adopted in 2014.

“Having been a teacher definitely gives me an inside perspective of what fine arts teachers need. It’s important that I listen to what teachers are going through and how we can support them,” he said.

Creative approaches

Talarico meets with K-12 fine arts teachers, educational service units, arts organizations and teacher education faculty to build connections and facilitate learning experiences for both students and educators. What he’s learned in his first few months inspired him to create the Fine Arts Exchange, a month-long, asynchronous electronic event in fall 2022 where arts educators learned about programs and resources offered by more than 20 arts nonprofits and state agencies.

“It’s meant to be a one-stop resource for teachers,” he said. “One of the hardest things as a teacher is you never have time to do everything you want to do.”

He developed another initiative, Fine Arts Rap, after conversations with higher education faculty at a Teacher Education Forum in August.

“Faculty from colleges and universities that offer certification in music, visual arts and theatre talked about wanting to connect with teachers in the field and to hear about their successes and challenges,” he said. “That way, faculty can strengthen their teacher preparation programs, making them more relevant to current needs and trends.”

Talarico also launched an electronic newsletter, “Expressions,” containing teaching resources, links to arts-related websites and books, technology tips, grant opportunities and other valuable information.

The Hastings connection

When Talarico was in high school and considering colleges, Hastings wasn’t even on his radar until his piano teacher, MarySue (Hormel) Harris ’63, encouraged him to visit campus for a piano competition. He met and played for faculty member Ruth (McKevitt) Moore ’69, and his course for the future was set.

“MarySue and Ruth graduated from Hastings, and they both studied with Elinore Barber. I had amazing piano instruction for so many years,” he said.

Talarico remembers his years in the music department as a time of joy and creativity. Moore, inducted into the inaugural class of the ���Ĵ�ý Fine Arts Hall of Fame in 2019, held regular sessions with her piano students from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. Mondays in Fuhr Hall so they could hear each other play and eat her famous Texas sheet cake.

“I made great friends among my fellow students and faculty, and I still communicate with them. I don’t know how many students at other colleges can say they regularly communicate with their professors nearly 25 years later,” he said.

Now a statewide advocate and resource for educators and students, Talarico credits his alma mater with inspiring a career that has taken him from the classroom to the Nebraska Department of Education, each step guided by his deep-seated commitment to the fine arts.

“The arts give space for students to learn and express themselves in ways that are different from other subject areas,” he said. “The arts aren’t on the periphery. They’re part of a well-rounded education.”

By Judee Konen ’85

“It started at ���Ĵ�ý with Tom Kreager. That was my first introduction to welding,” Jurgensmier said. “People assume I learned to weld on the farm, but that was not the case. It was a totally new experience for me.”

Over the past three decades, Jurgensmier has fused her passion for art with her rural sensibilities to create a thriving business, “Sculptures by Sally.” Since her first welded sculpture in college (an archway that now welcomes visitors to a sculpture garden outside her showroom), she has salvaged materials from manufacturers’ scrap heaps and farmers’ piles of discarded metal and old machinery.

“Every farmyard has an iron pile, so I went through my dad’s. Word got out, and I started getting calls from neighbors asking if I wanted to look at their metal scraps before they took them to the junkyard,” she said.

Jurgensmier’s work can be found in private collections throughout the state. In 2020, the Hastings Business Improvement District commissioned her to create “Cottonwood,” a raw steel sculpture of a cottonwood leaf that now sits at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Avenue. In August, she was one of only seven artists, artisans and craftspeople featured in “Heartland Handmade,” a television special on Nebraska Public Media.

Reflecting rural life

In a metal whooping crane, Jurgensmier captures the beauty of the majestic, long-legged bird that migrates over her fields. She recreates in metal the cornstalks and cows that are familiar sights along Nebraska’s country roads. She welds pieces of old machinery into abstract sculptures that seem both ornamental and functional, like they could hang on a living room wall or plow a field.

Jurgensmier’s most satisfying transactions occur when patrons visit her farm in person and experience the environment where the art is created.

“I live in a rural area, and I’m very influenced by that in my art,” Jurgensmier said. “To create more of an attachment between me and my customers, I like for them to come here, see where I live, see my workshop and the showroom where the finished pieces are displayed. It gives more meaning to the pieces and helps customers attach them to their own experiences and memories.”

Visitors to Jurgensmier’s farm also find remnants of her late mother’s antique business. Old photo frames, dishes and furniture, all for sale, line the east wall of the artist’s showroom.

“My first sculptures were highly influenced by my mom’s business and our collaborations,” Jurgensmier said. “The antique business was a good way for us to spend time together, so that was a natural influence on my art.”

Inspiration from a pile of junk

Jurgensmier does what she calls the “dirty work” of cleaning, cutting, grinding and welding metal in a building separate
from her professional showroom. That building houses a narrow welding shop and the enormous collection of scrap metal gleaned from local manufacturers and neighbors’ farms.

“There are days when I head to the welding shop when I know what I’m going to make. I’ve been cataloging some of my junk in my head so I know where to find it, what to do with it and how to put it together,” she said. “Other days, I just start with a piece of junk. The reason I’ve kept it might be the texture, the shape or just the feel of it in my hands. That’s where the inspiration comes from.”
Jurgensmier’s tidy farmstead with its brick ranch house, red outbuildings and scampering farm cats might be an unconventional place to create great art, but for an artist grounded in and inspired by rural life, it’s an optimal setting.

“An ideal day for me is a day I never have to leave the farm,” she said. “That means I get up, drink my coffee, walk the dogs, go to the welding shop and let the ideas unravel and the metal speak to me. That’s a great day.”

By Judee Konen ’85

“We’re doing a sort of renegade reunion,” the writer of the play, Paige MJ Erickson ‘00, said, as the director and almost all of the cast are alumni. Cast members include Amber Wormington ‘00/MAT ’05, Tim Steffensmeier ’97, Carly Spotts-Falzone ’19, Miranda Miller-Klugesherz ’15 and Nancy Koch ‘02, with Darren Epping Fuentes ’04 directing.

Almost the entire cast were also members of the Forensics team, which is how many of them met and stayed connected after their time at ���Ĵ�ý.

Erickson started writing plays during her time at ���Ĵ�ý, after urging by her then writing professor and now Executive President Dr. Rich Lloyd ‘85. Yet, “Strong City” is her first play in 20 years. For the last 12 years while teaching for Purdue University Global, Erickson has been traveling around Europe. Then in 2020 she was sent home because of Covid-19.

“When I came home, I decided I needed to do stuff that kind of scared me. I knew I was just going to have to keep doing different things until I came back to writing. I knew in my heart that that was a really important part of who I am,” Erickson said.

The inspiration for “Strong City” came from Erickson’s travels in Europe and also from her love of both rural and urban areas. Together they allowed Erickson to create a story about going home. “Overall it’s about finding a sense of purpose. I think that’s a much harder thing than people seem to want to communicate. I feel like a lot of people know it’s hard; you’ve got to find something to live for, find some meaning,” Erickson said.

“Strong City” follows Andrew, estranged from his ranching family but soured on life in the city, as he encounters upbeat do-gooder Liesl while on his way home to Strong City, Kansas.

Through the unlikely duo’s road trip across Colorado and Kansas, and with the help of Andrew’s mother, sister and ailing father, Andrew and Liesl discover that the answers to their biggest questions have always been waiting in the calm of the Kansas Prairie.

In January 2021, she held her first reading of “Strong City.” Of the current cast members Steffensmeier, Wormington and Spotts-Falzone were a part of this first reading. Erickson used this opportunity to actually hear the play since she found it hard to get a sense of the play when she was just reading it. During the reading she found that she had left out the main character from almost the entire second act. After working further on the play, Erickson held another reading in December 2021, which she believed to be a much sharper version of the play.

Erickson knew exactly who she wanted to cast for her play.

“I wanted it to be a sort of Hastings reunion,” Erickson said. She had all plenty of connections from her time as a forensics competitor, and then her time as coach. Wormington, Steffensmeier and Koch all competed on the Hastings Forensics team with her. Erickson met Spotts-Falzone when she came back to campus to do a reading of her book, “The Nice Thing About Strangers,” and she had seen Miller-Klugesherz at competitions, but it was Spotts-Falzone who actually introduced the two. Erickson knows Zac Ralston, the only non-alumni in the show, from her time at Kansas State University for her masters degree.

While Erickson was happy to make the play a reunion, she recognized the struggle that doing so presented.

“Half of my cast has kids, and everybody has a full time job. If we were going to do a traditional play, where we have three months, no one could do it,” she said. Instead, they decided to meet up when they could online, memorize lines on their own and then the day before the first show they would show up and block everything out.

“It’s just really hard to make it work, but we’re gonna make it work,” Erickson said.

Everyone a part of the show has been longing to use the creative skill they learned during their time in forensics, but more than that, they’re all excited to see each other again. “I think I’m going to just cry my eyes out when I see these people on stage. It’s so moving to see these performers again,” Erickson said.

“Strong City” will have three performances at Kansas State University’s Purple Masque Theatre (780 Denison Avenue, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas). Two of these performances will take place on Saturday June 25 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and the third on Sunday, June 26 at 1:00 pm.

By Ally Banks, a junior english major from Shawnee, Kansas