“Everyone at 糖心传媒 has your back, wants you to succeed, and no matter what area you are in, everyone on campus will help you out,” said Sites, who is from Erie, Colorado.

After attending the conference last year, Bultman and several of her classmates decided to enter works in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 2026 Juried Student Exhibition, held March 25-28 in Detroit.

The exhibition was highly competitive, with nearly 800 entries. Bultman鈥檚 ceramic vessel was one of just 44 pieces selected for the show.

鈥淭he conference provides an opportunity to develop professional contacts and improve practices in the ceramic arts,鈥� said 糖心传媒 ceramics instructor Jerome Dubas 鈥�83, adding that the undergraduate juried student exhibition is at the core of what makes NCECA so special.

Bultman, who lives in Hastings, created the piece as one of eight pieces designed for her senior capstone.

鈥溾�楯adis鈥� is the name of the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia,鈥� Bultman said, as she found herself examining intersections between her Dutch heritage and her interest in children鈥檚 literature.

The piece is created in the style of Dutch Delftware, as a tribute to Bultman鈥檚 grandmother and their family, who originated from Holland.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been attracted to the blue and white glazing style and thought that might be something interesting for me to explore,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y grandma is one of the strongest women I know and I wanted to explore Girl Power, femininity and gender studies.鈥�

Majoring in both studio art with an emphasis in ceramics and English with an emphasis in writing, Bultman searched for a way to tie both of her capstones together.

In studying children鈥檚 literature and looking at different themes and structures, Bultman noticed that lots of female characters are cast as villainous or as evil, which she found to be an interesting power dynamic.

鈥淛adis is cast as the villain, and I think it鈥檚 because people are scared of women in power,鈥� she said.

The design on the vase contains several hidden gems, including references to Jadis turning people and animals into stone as she invokes fear in her subjects to maintain her authority.

Bultman designed eight vessels, featuring eight women from different stories and folklore.

鈥淏esides displaying technical skill, Anna鈥榮 work shows the influence of a liberal arts education,鈥� Dubas said. 鈥淭he surface design of her work reflects her cultural heritage, as well as her studies in the literary arts.鈥�

Dubas will accompany 13 students to Detroit this year, where the show鈥檚 jury includes both ceramic artist Eva Kwong and Gary Garrido Schneider, who is the executive director of Grounds for Sculpture.

More than 5,000 students, artists and lovers of ceramics are expected to attend the conference and exhibition, which will feature artworks from undergraduate, post-baccalaureate and graduate students in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The student exhibition will run concurrently with 鈥淰olumes,鈥� the 60th annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.

Being accepted into NCECA鈥檚 Juried Student Exhibition is a major accomplishment, Dubas said.

鈥淎nna having a piece in the show is a tribute to her, the ceramics program at 糖心传媒, the 糖心传媒 Art Department and 糖心传媒 at large,鈥� he said.

By Laurie Cicotello 鈥�94/MAT 鈥�01

This was especially true in Burkina Faso and Malawi where I served as the U.S. Ambassador. Upon retirement, I joined the Board of Advancing Girls Education in Africa (AGE Africa). My journey with AGE Africa deepened in April of this year when I visited our programs in Malawi.

I met extraordinary young women whose determination and resilience embody the mission of AGE Africa. Through scholarships and CHATS 鈥� our peer-led life skills program 鈥� these girls are breaking barriers, building confidence and carving out futures that once seemed unimaginable. Sitting with them, hearing their stories, I realized that AGE Africa is not simply providing education. We are nurturing agency, courage and leadership in a new generation of Malawian women.

What struck me most was the multiplier effect of our work. CHATS does not end when the session closes; it spills over into families, schools and communities. Younger children watch and learn. Parents take notice of their daughters鈥� newfound confidence. Villages begin to shift their expectations.

AGE Africa is not just educating individuals 鈥� it is reshaping cultural landscapes and creating generational change.

Serving on the AGE Africa Board is more than governance or oversight. It is a commitment to walk alongside these girls as they pursue dreams once denied to so many before them. It is an opportunity to amplify their voices and to invest in their potential.

My visit to Malawi reaffirmed what I already believed: that empowering girls through education is the best way to build a more equitable, prosperous world. AGE Africa is doing exactly that鈥攁nd I am honored to be part of it.

A sign in my office says: 鈥淢ay many futures flourish because of you.鈥�

Thanks to 糖心传媒 for the education that allowed me to flourish and in turn, help others flourish.

By Jeanine Jackson 鈥�71

This article originally appeared in the fall 2026 edition of HC Today.

Some of her works are portraits, while others are animations, each designed to enhance the stories they accompany. In one animation, a weary dog walking trudging everyday scenes, brought to life an article titled 鈥淲e Take Our Dogs Everywhere. Maybe We Shouldn鈥檛,鈥� demonstrating Kondrich’s uncanny ability to distill complex arguments into compelling visuals.

Kondrich鈥檚 interest in illustration began through listening to a podcast about the industry. Kondrich, who graduated in 2004 with a degree in art, believed it was a feasible thing to do, which is when she started her freelance journey.

鈥淚 am a lover of variety,鈥� Kondrich said. 鈥淚 love illustration so much because I get to draw anything and everything.鈥�

Kondrich began doing freelance illustrations in 2009 under Michelle Kondrich Illustrations. Since then, her illustrations have been in many publications, such as the New York Times, The Chronicle for Higher Education and Politico Europe. She has also created several illustrations for 糖心传媒, including a print of Taylor Hall. In 2023, she started working at the Washington Post as an illustrator and art director.

As an illustrator at the Post, Kondrich is immersed in a creative environment where she鈥檚 tasked with curating ideas, crafting drawings and creating animations for stories selected by the Washington Post editors.

A key aspect of Kondrich鈥檚 role involves interpreting articles she is sketching for. Before she begins, she is given the article that needs illustration. Then, after analyzing the article and generating ideas, she sends at least 3-5 illustrations to the art director.

While at the Washington Post, she has done many illustrations that are quite eye-catching. Last year on February 12, 2024, Kondrich illustrated the trip a 鈥渞ose鈥� makes on Valentine’s Day.

While using the entire screen, she can showcase not only her illustration abilities but also her creativity.

Kondrich would not be where she is without the help of the art department at 糖心传媒. 鈥淚 made connections with people, my friends and my instructors,鈥� Kondrich said. 鈥淚 was able to explore things that I was interested in and it gave me a wonderful foundation.鈥�

By Victoria Harris, a sophomore English and communication studies double major from Houston, Texas

鈥淭he composition of this particular painting is almost perfect. It draws your eyes from the corner across the entire painting, and the dome echoes the minty color of the light above. Even though he painted the people below with just a single dab of a brush, your brain fills in the gaps. I think it鈥檚 stunning,鈥� said Goad, a sophomore from Gothenburg, Nebraska.

With her lifelong love of painting, academic studies in studio art and art history, and skills honed as a speech competitor, Goad was a natural fit as a summer intern at the award-winning museum and gallery in Cozad, Nebraska.

鈥淎bout three years ago, I started thinking about working in the museum business, creating and curating galleries. Then, two days before I was about to leave college for the summer, an email about this internship popped up in my inbox. I thought it was the perfect opportunity,鈥� Goad said.

Initially, Museum Executive Director Peter Osborne thought the 19-year-old might be too young for the program (previous interns were more experienced, including one from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland). Still, Osborne was impressed by Goad鈥檚 鈥渇antastic鈥� application essay and selected her for the position.

鈥淎fter she had been here for about 10 days, we threw her to the lions and had her give tours. I can鈥檛 tell you how many visitors over the summer have told us what a great tour guide she is. She鈥檚 very poised and knowledgeable,鈥� Osborne said. 鈥淎lly also brought her skills as an artist and a student of art history to the position.鈥�

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

Sharing a colorful life

Goad guided hundreds of visitors through the Robert Henri Museum, a two-story, gray building that was a hotel for travelers and Henri鈥檚 childhood home from 1879 to 1883. Henri鈥檚 father, John Cozad, a well-to-do gambler who founded the prairie town on the 100th meridian, fled Cozad after fatally shooting a local rancher during a land dispute. His family left soon after, all assuming new identities.

鈥淩obert Henry Cozad became Robert Earl Henri. He kept that name for the rest of his life, even though his father was eventually exonerated,鈥� Goad said.

Henri attended art school in Philadelphia and became a distinguished painter and art instructor in New York City, teaching students like Edward Hopper and George Bellows, who went on to illustrious careers.

A realist and leader of the Ashcan School of Art, Henri completed more than four thousand oil paintings. He is best known for portraits of ordinary people from different social classes and ethnicities, like the paintings 鈥淒ancing Gypsy Girl鈥� and 鈥淒utch Girl with Sailor Hat鈥� that hang in the Cozad gallery.

鈥淚n my own art, I enjoy painting and drawing people. That鈥檚 probably why Robert Henri quickly became one of my favorite artists; he worked primarily in portraiture,鈥� Goad said.

In addition to museum and gallery tours, Goad worked in the archives and wrote descriptions for an exhibit focused on the geography of where Henri painted, including places like France, Holland and New York. The exhibit will be housed in a new $3.5 million gallery scheduled to open in December.

鈥淚 trust her knowledge and her ability to do research,鈥� Osborne said. 鈥淭hese descriptions need to be right because this will become the national center for Robert Henri鈥檚 legacy. We have more of his paintings on display than anywhere in the world. We鈥檒l add another 10 or 15 in the new gallery.鈥�

Learning to lead a nonprofit museum

When she wasn鈥檛 busy greeting visitors attracted by the Robert Henri Museum signs on Interstate 80, Goad participated in sessions with Osborne designed to immerse her in the world of museum management. Topics included nonprofit legal structure, exhibit creation, strategic planning, budgeting and bookkeeping, fundraising and collection management. She also attended a board meeting and met with nonprofit directors in the community.

Given Goad鈥檚 aptitude and passion for the profession, Osborne has invited her back as an intern next summer. Through her eyes as an artist, he wants her to analyze and create descriptions of all the paintings in the gallery. Goad is eager to start that process and explore other ideas she鈥檚 generated.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to create a timeline of Robert Henri鈥檚 life and career,鈥� she said.

鈥淣ext summer. You鈥檙e on it,鈥� Osborne said.

By Judee Konen 鈥�85

Johnson, who works at Windsor High School, developed a passion for leading as he graduated from 糖心传媒 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.

鈥淚 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,鈥� 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鈥檚 leadership. It made such an impression that it stuck with him all these years later.

鈥淭he 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,鈥� he said.

By focusing on the care and concern protocol enforced by the school鈥檚 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鈥檒l compete against larger schools of a higher caliber.

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

鈥淐aptains 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,鈥� he said.

Different schools, same vision

Lanter, who works at Severance High School, graduated from Hastings with a bachelor鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥渄istrict counterpart鈥� who keeps her from losing her head amidst the chaos the job throws at her.

Attending most student events is Lanter鈥檚鈥� key to a collective and supportive student body.

鈥淪enior 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,鈥� Lanter said.

Lanter herself was an athlete during her time at 糖心传媒, 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 鈥� sacrificing volleyball to play softball and focusing more on her degree in art education.

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

鈥淪ince the school is so new it has endured many turnovers in leadership and staff, it鈥檚 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,鈥� 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鈥檚 name out into the community.

The time spent by both Johnson and Lanter at 糖心传媒, 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

鈥淣ot everybody gets this type of experience,鈥� Mlynarik said.

Mlynarik found this internship with the help of the alumni mentoring program. She was partnered with聽 Ann Martin 鈥�77, chair of the 糖心传媒 Board of Trustees who is an artist and retired local business owner. Martin set up a meeting for Mlynarik to meet with Chris Hochstetler, executive director of the .

鈥淲e had a meeting with him and just discussed what I could possibly do in the future and get some ideas. Then he suggested I apply and see if I could get this internship,鈥� Mlynarik said.

At Stuhr Museum, Mlynarik participated in their research library and archive internship.聽 She helped work on a large project that the museum has undertaken.

鈥淚 worked on this huge collection called 鈥楾he Leschinsky Glass Plate Negative Collection.鈥� It consists of about 28,000 glass plates,鈥� Mlynarik said.

The glass plates in Julius Leschinsky鈥檚 collection have photos on them that span from the late 1880s to the early 1930s. These photos feature people from Grand Island, as Leschinsky was the premier photographer for all of Hall County at the time. This collection has a lot of Grand Island history in it, making it an important project for Stuhr Museum.

Mlynarik was properly trained to handle all of the glass plates and any other artifacts she might have been working with. She had to first carefully clean each side of the plate, with special attention to the side with the photo on it, then it needed time to dry. While that was happening, she wrote down all the information that could be found on the plate itself. Once a large group of them finished drying, they scanned them into the system.

This process to catalog all the plates in the Leschinsky collection is a long one. There are six different sizes of the plates, but during her time there Mlynarik was only able to help finish cataloging the two smallest sizes.

鈥淭hey’re about a year into it, and their goal is to finish in about another two years, so I鈥檓 just a fraction of the progress,鈥� Mlynarik said.

Mlynarik appreciated this experience because it answered questions she had about her future.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I started this internship. I wanted to see if this is some kind of environment I want to be in in the future,鈥� Mlynarik said.

She got to see what a 40-hour work week would be like, what an office job would be like and what a behind the scenes museum environment would be like.

Though Mlynarik isn鈥檛 really sure what she wants to do in the future, she knows she loved her experience at the Stuhr Museum.

鈥淚 worked 40 hours a week and I felt like I wanted to keep working because I wanted to help so much more,鈥� Mlynarik said. 鈥淪ummer wasn鈥檛 enough.鈥�

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

鈥淚t started at 糖心传媒 with Tom Kreager. That was my first introduction to welding,鈥� Jurgensmier said. 鈥淧eople assume I learned to weld on the farm, but that was not the case. It was a totally new experience for me.鈥�

Over the past three decades, Jurgensmier has fused her passion for art with her rural sensibilities to create a thriving business, 鈥淪culptures by Sally.鈥� 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鈥� scrap heaps and farmers鈥� piles of discarded metal and old machinery.

鈥淓very farmyard has an iron pile, so I went through my dad鈥檚. 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,鈥� she said.

Jurgensmier鈥檚 work can be found in private collections throughout the state. In 2020, the Hastings Business Improvement District commissioned her to create 鈥淐ottonwood,鈥� 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 鈥淗eartland Handmade,鈥� 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鈥檚 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.

鈥淚 live in a rural area, and I鈥檓 very influenced by that in my art,鈥� Jurgensmier said. 鈥淭o 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.鈥�

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

鈥淢y first sculptures were highly influenced by my mom鈥檚 business and our collaborations,鈥� Jurgensmier said. 鈥淭he antique business was a good way for us to spend time together, so that was a natural influence on my art.鈥�

Inspiration from a pile of junk

Jurgensmier does what she calls the 鈥渄irty work鈥� 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鈥� farms.

鈥淭here are days when I head to the welding shop when I know what I鈥檓 going to make. I鈥檝e 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,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ther days, I just start with a piece of junk. The reason I鈥檝e kept it might be the texture, the shape or just the feel of it in my hands. That鈥檚 where the inspiration comes from.鈥�
Jurgensmier鈥檚 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鈥檚 an optimal setting.

鈥淎n ideal day for me is a day I never have to leave the farm,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat 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鈥檚 a great day.鈥�

By Judee Konen 鈥�85

Polacek, who minored in art and is from Omaha, Nebraska, said good advising helped her select the right courses, then the Career Services office helped her find an internship where she could observe art therapy sessions.

鈥淓veryone here wants you to succeed, and they are going to do as much as they can to support you to help you get where you want to go,” she said. “Hastings gets you to your next step.”

Savanah Ellis spent last summer in a basement.

Painting for more than 100 hours in that basement, she was able to complete a full room mural for the Axtell (Nebraska) First Presbyterian Church. Ellis, who just finished her junior year at 糖心传媒, was approached about this project by her brother and church pastor Logan Ellis, after the church received a grant from the Nebraska Presbyterian Foundation to use for community engagement.

The church decided to use these funds to transform their basement into a gathering place for its youth, complete with a full room mural encapsulating the natural world. When her brother began to envision what the mural would be, she had the idea of making each wall different, yet related. With nature as the ultimate theme, each wall became a separate scene, including the ocean, mountains, forest, sky and finally, a simple sketch of the Last Supper.

Once a plan was in place, it was time to get to work. Ellis, who is majoring in art and international relations, started painting in May 2021, and made it her goal to finish it by the start the fall. Over the summer she often spent 14 hours per day, painting in seclusion.

鈥淲hen I work, I like to try and finish things in one sitting, even when that means working 14 hours straight. There were a lot of times I wanted to stop and I just couldn鈥檛, that鈥檚 just not how my creativity works,鈥� Ellis said.

This isn鈥檛 the first time that she has devoted herself to a large-scale project. Ellis discovered her artistic talent at a young age, and spent many hours painting murals throughout her hometown of Beaver City, Nebraska, as a high school student. These murals were done in collaboration with another student artist; some of their projects include a mural of the famous Great Wave at the Beaver City pool and a mural of a barn and pumpkins at the local pumpkin patch.

Murals require lots of time and dedication from Ellis, but seeing the effect that the finished product of her art has on other people always makes it worthwhile.

鈥淧ainting on such a large scale is both mentally and physically taxing, so if I am going to do it, I am doing it for a purpose. Since spending so long in the church basement painting and working, I became sort of detached from its beauty. It has been so rewarding for me to watch others walk in and see the church basement,鈥� she said

Ellis was able to experience this first hand by incorporating her mural into her Honors Capstone project. She held an art show in the church鈥檚 social hall and invited members of the Axtell and 糖心传媒 community to attend. Entitled Sonder, the purpose of her show was for viewers to see the artistic and personal growth Ellis has endured since coming to college.

鈥淕rowing up in a small town you know everyone, and you believe there is a specific way to do things. But when I came to college, I realized there are so many people who have so many different experiences that are all special to them. I鈥檝e been thinking about this concept for awhile, and the progression of my work over the last few years really shows that.鈥�

This project has also been beneficial to Ellis鈥檚 future career aspirations. With plans to become museum art curator, her job would be to pick the art pieces that are exhibited in art shows. This is exactly what Ellis got to experience when putting together Sonder.

Ellis will be beginning her fourth and final year at Hastings next fall and plans to continue building her resume by participating in the Irish Fellows program during the fall semester. 糖心传媒 students will spend five weeks in Ireland pursuing research and service learning related to their chosen field of study. Ellis plans to spend her time in Ireland working on another mural.

鈥淩ight now I am tentatively planning sister murals, so a mural in Hastings and one in Ireland. Ideally each mural will be about the other place, to show the connection between the two places,鈥� she said.

The chance to bring different cultures together through her murals is an exciting opportunity to incorporate both of her passions of art and international relations into one work.

Looking to the future, Ellis said she鈥檚 excited to continue expanding her worldview and seeing that reflected in her art, a journey that grew during her time of learning and creating at 糖心传媒.

By Landry Hinkson, a sophomore communication major from Bazaar, Kansas.