Fuqua, a wildlife biology and philosophy & religion double major from Woodland Park, Colorado, received an acceptance call the day after the interview.

Fuqua has always been an animal lover and volunteered at a zoo throughout middle and high school, where they found plenty of joy and connection with the animals.

“I needed to do something that made me feel good and something that is worthwhile,” Fuqua said.

Fuqua started working at Heartland Pet Connection in late April, making sure the animals were fed, watered and had clean spaces. Since then, they’ve taken on heavier responsibilities, such as disinfecting intake kennels and managing disease control processes.

“A lot of intakes aren’t vaccinated,” Fuqua said. “They’ve been out on the street, so the intake kennel has a special cleaning process, too.”

Fuqua has found a lot of joy at Heartland, especially in adoption counseling. They sit down with animals and potential adopters to help find the perfect match.

“It can be hard, helping adopters find an animal that fits their lifestyle, but the matchmaking is so satisfying to be a part of,” Fuqua said.

Between adoption counseling and shadowing animal behavior tests, Fuqua has learned a lot about how animals interact with each other versus how they interact with people. Fuqua appreciates classes that cover shelter practices, but notes they are quite different from hands-on experience.

Of course, working at a shelter comes with hardships. The shelter can end up with pets who’ve escaped yards due to a lack of fencing or pets who are being surrendered because they’ve grown up and don’t look like puppies or kittens anymore.

“The average person sometimes goes into the adoption process thinking a pet will be the same forever, but they change and grow up too,” Fuqua said.

Fuqua has always been an advocate for animal welfare, speaking up for the safety of pets. They openly educate about the importance of adoption alongside finding an animal that fits into a person’s lifestyle.

“A pet should meet someone’s needs,” Fuqua said, “like being a companion.”

Fuqua said that a lot of their approach to ensuring animals and people are both treated well is thanks to Dr. Dorothy Dean, a professor of religion at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ.

“Sometimes my words are harsher than I intend them to be,” Fuqua admitted. “Dr. Dean has helped me learn how to talk to people respectfully, even when I disagree with their standpoints.”

Fuqua has enjoyed a lot of their religion and philosophy courses as a whole, especially being able to combine that with the scientific approach in wildlife biology.

“I love answers. Religion and philosophy courses don’t have that,” Fuqua said. “It’s a different way to think.”

Fuqua’s classes overlap more than it might seem. Wildlife biology teaches facts, psychology and an understanding of the natural world. Philosophy and religion focus on morality, the heart and the divinity of life.

Putting those majors together has helped Fuqua find joy in their job, especially when helping animals find their forever homes.

“I believe everybody should be mindful when they think about getting a pet,” Fuqua said. “Please research, understand their needs, foster if you’re unsure about adoption and make sure you have the means to take care of these precious creatures.”

By Caspian Weeden, an English major from Pueblo, Colorado.

Wood, who is from Lincoln, Nebraska, and graduated in May, began the project by examining Ď㽶ĘÓƵ’s collection of bat specimens.

His survey, though limited to the specimens on hand, raised a broader question: How does the lack of regulation for bat species affect our understanding of which are endangered?

“It’s difficult to recognize endangerment across bat species when many authorities don’t recognize the same species as endangered,” Wood said, noting that state and federal agencies often use different endangered species lists.

Part of that challenge is there’s no central database. Wood said he had to use four different databases to put his survey together.

He emphasized the importance of shared sources and suggested a global database would fix a lot of the issues with endangerment labels. A more cohesive approach, he said, would help authorities more accurately establish which species are at risk.

Wood also spoke on the lack of procedure for vertebrate taxidermy, and particularly the sale of bats. He explained that the market has historically been saturated and loosely regulated, increasing pressure on vulnerable populations.

Online marketplaces such as eBay or Etsy have contributed to the problem, although both updated their policies in 2025 to ban bat products in an attempt to protect those in danger of extinction.

Without consistent oversight, Wood said, bats can be treated as commodities to be obtained rather than living, natural creatures, further threatening already at-risk species.

One example he focused on in his presentation was the Northern long-eared bat. This bat had been reclassified under the U.S. Endangered Species Act from “unlisted” to “endangered” in 2015, and it has not shown any signs of making it off the list. Though most of the population decline has been caused by a fungal disease, human infrastructure such as highways have led to rapid habitat loss for the species.

Wood said the threat against this and other bat species has consequences, as bats are important for the ecosystem, aiding with pest control, pollination and seed dispersal. Without them, many forest environments would suffer and many other creatures would face increased disease pressure from mosquitoes and other pests.

“There is one Earth and it should be protected,” Wood said.

Academic Showcase, held each spring at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ, provides students the opportunity to share presentations and performances with the campus and broader community.

By Caspian Weeden, an English major from Pueblo, Colorado.

“I find a lot of value and purpose in being part of my community,” said Ruiz, who is from Las Vegas. “I really enjoy having the ability to grow the community and help others here at Hastings.”

Marissa said she believes the college has set her up to succeed as she prepares for her next chapter: veterinarian school.

The study, titled “Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Parkinson’s Disease Patients,” investigates how the global pandemic affected the quality of life and functional abilities of individuals living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the rural Midwest.

The research team was led by first author Maria Andrea Garcia Elizondo ’25 and included fellow graduate Jermaine Francis Jr. ’25, alongside faculty advisor Dr. Juliana de Almeida Cardoso, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Lorraine Edwards, M.D., a neurologist with Central Nebraska Neurology.

“Leading this mixed-methods study allowed us to explore the complex intersection of neurodegenerative disorders and the psychosocial disruptions caused by a global health crisis,” said Garcia Elizondo. “It was a rewarding challenge to see the project through from the initial data collection to a peer-reviewed publication. I am incredibly proud that our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by the Parkinson’s community in the rural Midwest, and I’m thankful for the mentorship that made this possible.”

The research project was made possible through the Ď㽶ĘÓƵ Excelsior Scholars Program, which provides research grants to students. Garcia Elizondo received the grant in 2022 to complete the research while she and Francis Jr. were students. Garcia Elizondo majored in biochemistry, while Francis Jr. majored in health technology.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the team surveyed 31 participants and conducted 22 in-depth interviews. While the quantitative data showed no significant difference in daily functioning between those who had contracted COVID-19 and those who hadn’t, the qualitative interviews revealed a complex picture of the pandemic’s toll.

The researchers identified five key themes:

• Symptom overlap between COVID-19 and Parkinson’s.
• Health literacy challenges.
• The profound impact of social isolation.
• Varied reactions to the pandemic.
• Diverse perceptions of physical and emotional well-being.

The inclusion of Edwards provided a vital bridge between academic inquiry and clinical reality. Her expertise as a neurologist was instrumental in advising the students and framing the study’s impact on the local Parkinson’s community.

“This project highlights the multifaceted nature of quality of life for those with Parkinson’s,” Cardoso said. “The findings emphasize a critical need for interdisciplinary approaches, peer support and community-based programs. Seeing our students lead a project of this caliber that addresses such complex, real-world needs is a testament to the power of undergraduate research at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ.”

The published study is now available through the Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences via New Prairie Press at .

“I go into the lab and they teach me about pH and particles and how to monitor bacteria. We also do multiple tests to make sure that the product is safe. As a quality intern, I check papers and verify with workers that they are doing their job correctly and address errors that may have been made,” Castellanos said.

Castellanos, a biology major with physics and psychology minors from Grand Island, Nebraska, said the internship taught him more about fields he is interested in and that it has helped him grow as a person.

“What I enjoy most is being able to push myself to be the best person I can be everyday. It’s also nice when my hard work gets recognized by coworkers,” said Castellanos, who is also a Scott Scholar. “Internships are like gateways to careers, so I think it’s important to give your best effort in your work because it allows you to learn and grow as a person.”

He said his work environment was very supportive and helped him when facing with challenges. He also found it rewarding when he received recognition for good work.

“I stress easily because I am a perfectionist. I’ve made some mistakes, but my peers and supervisors advised me that there is some room for error. So, it was hard adjusting to that work environment and learning how to interact with my coworkers,” Castellanos said.

Chemistry professor Dr. Neil Heckman recommended Castellanos for the internship, and Ď㽶ĘÓƵ Career Services staff helped him apply for the position. He credits Ď㽶ĘÓƵ to this opportunity and has embraced the support the community has given him.

“There’s actually people here that do care about you. The professors, the staff and really everybody here are willing to do their job to help students. There is a support system here that has really helped me not only with academics and career opportunities, but personal challenges, too,” Castellanos said.

He said a lot of people applied for the internship, so he didn’t believe he’d get it.

“Yet I did,” he said. “I think it’s because Ď㽶ĘÓƵ taught me how to be professional during my interviews and in the workplace.”

He said many of the tasks he’s been handling incorporate a lot of knowledge from classes he has taken. He also utilized Career Services staff and Dave Rippe, director of the Scott Scholars program, to learn about professionalism in the workplace.

“It was really interesting because in chemistry class, we would learn about certain things that I thought I would never use. Now, in this internship, I am,” Castellanos said.

Castellanos said he enjoyed the time learning about different fields, experiencing new things and meeting different kinds of people — and that he’s found something he enjoys doing.

While Castellanos said he’s already started to look into PhD programs in order to become a physicist, he’s keeping his mind open to other opportunities and will continue to explore his options with the help of Ď㽶ĘÓƵ.

“I found fulfillment in my work that I’ve been doing at this internship and in my classes. I feel as though I can follow my passion in a way that doesn’t drain me,” Castellanos said.

By Rachel Ritzmann a business administration and marketing major from Broomfield, Colorado.

Tidyman, who is from Holdrege, Nebraska, had many duties at the zoo, including feeding, watering and cleaning up after the animals, interacting with elk, white-tailed deer, bison, black-footed ferrets, black bears, river otters and a grizzly bear.

The zoo also holds cougars, and while Tidyman had limited interactions with them because they require more seasoned zookeepers, she did choose to focus on them for an internship capstone project.

“I researched where cougars spend most of their time during the day, and then built a graphic and marked up a photo so the public would know where to look for the cats,” she said, adding that she also summarized the data and wrote a paper with her findings.

“All of the animals I interacted with had unique routines we had to follow,” Tidyman said.

For example, Tidyman said the elk routine began at 7:00 a.m. and was tedious. It’s a large exhibit that had to be raked because of the small pellets elk produce. From there, she’d move to raking and cleaning the elk barn to ensure that they would have a clean and cozy place to sleep at night.

“I learned a lot about the elk throughout my time doing the elk routine,” she said. “For example, when bull elk are in the velvet stage of antlers, their antlers are very sensitive, so the elk avoid touching their antlers to anything during this time.”

Tidyman said she loved watching the animals and learning their habits.

“My favorites to watch were the black bears because they were only a year old and played with a lot of energy,” she said.

Tidyman sought out the internship because the zoo didn’t advertise opportunities. Tidyman applied for the animal care position even though it was an unpaid position, believing instead that she may gain knowledge from the experience.

“The hours were flexible and they worked with my schedule, allowing me to also have a part-time paid job,” Tidyman said.

Tidyman said she learned a lot in her experience and wants to encourage others to apply for similar opportunities.

“It felt great caring for the animals and seeing the animals happy because of what I have accomplished,” Tidyman said.

Though zookeeping was not on Tidyman’s radar as a career, she is already looking ahead to next summer in the hope of working for another zoo.

“This experience taught me that zookeeping is definitely a career I could see myself pursuing one day,” Tidyman said.

“They told me from the jump, you’re going to get in, doesn’t matter. And I think that was very beneficial,” said Baker.

In her time at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ, Baker was active on Student Association, becoming president her senior year. She was also a part of the women’s basketball team, making the sweet sixteen of the NAIA tournament in 2025. Baker said being involved was easy at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ because there were so many opportunities.

The internship, which is based in Toyohashi, Japan, is funded by the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experiences for Students (IRES). IRES allows mentors and professors to apply for grants to create a fully funded internship opportunity for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The goal for the project Lee is working on is to create a portable device with a microchip that has a sensor that can accurately detect diseases and illnesses.

Lee, who is from Los Angeles, California, studies wildlife biology at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ. She’s always been passionate about nature and the outdoors, especially animals. Although this internship focuses on human biology, Lee said she’s learned many new skills that can benefit her future.

“Just having the international experience on top of this research project will help my resume,” Lee said. “With this specific project and my interest in diseases in endangered animal species, having a device like this will be extremely helpful in animal research.”

Lee came across this internship by chance. She had friends who received an email about this opportunity that were not able to apply for it. With encouragement from her friends, she applied and got the position through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

“I really didn’t go looking, but I thought that I might as well apply. I sent in my resume and wrote a cover letter. I also had to write a statement of research interest, and then went through two interview cycles,” Lee said.

Research uses sensor to detect disease

The research focuses on creating a device that can determine diseases by using pathogens, disease-causing agents. They are working with an electronic high-tech CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) sensor. This is a national security sensor, which means it cannot leave the country. CMOS sensors are electronic microchips used to produce electrical signals from images by using fluorescent light.

“We are working on this microchip, and you can flow a sample of saliva through the channels over the sensor and it’ll show a light on a screen and that’s how you know if they have a disease or illness,” Lee said.

This internship involves training, lab work, data collection and language lessons. Lee is kept busy during the day starting at 9:00 a.m. for training and then goes into labs or lessons and tours. Evenings are open and Lee spends her time exploring the city and taking the bullet train all around Japan.

“Training usually goes for a couple of hours until lunch, and in the afternoon, if we aren’t doing a tour at a company, we go back to our office work space,” Lee said. “From there, we are brainstorming. Right now we are researching and trying to find the best design for the device; after that’s done, there will be a lot of testing in the lab.”

Internship creates opportunities

The internship has allowed Lee to experience hands-on work and set new goals for her future. She said that she wants to complete the project and be able to have a working device, even if it’s not perfect, and apply the experience to her studies at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ and beyond.

“Being able to work collaboratively internationally is a big part of what I’m hoping to accomplish. I’m hoping to engage with the culture, the language, history and daily life. Each intern is studying a different field, so I get to learn from each of them on what part of the project they specialize in,” Lee said.

Lee said that Ď㽶ĘÓƵ professors, classes, teaching techniques and the community gave her the tools and skills she needs to apply herself to this internship.

“The classes I’ve taken have required me to do a lot of research and data collection, so I’d say that’s my strong suit. Ď㽶ĘÓƵ also helps me think outside of the box and use critical thinking more,” Lee said. “Also, I’ve done a lot of collaboration at Ď㽶ĘÓƵ with the soccer team and just in group projects.”

Lee has used this opportunity to expand her knowledge, contribute towards her future and travel abroad. She plans on going to graduate school, whether that be abroad or staying in the states. She plans on using her new gained skills in her academic and career endeavors.

By Rachel Ritzmann, a business administration and marketing major from Broomfield, Colorado

All three are from rural communities — Reed from Adams, Nebraska; Sterling from Scottsbluff, Nebraska; and Brown from Grand Island, Nebraska. The availability of providers impacted each of their healthcare experiences growing up. They collaborated on a project to address the ongoing issue with the recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in underserved communities, and came up with ways to help solve the problem.

Reed, a pre-pharmacy chemistry major; Sterling, a pre-dental biology major; and Brown, a pre-medicine biology major who graduated in May, expressed their passion and concern when it comes to healthcare and providing for others.

They took their research and presented it during the College’s Academic Showcase in late April. Academic Showcase, during which classes are cancelled, is a chance for students to share their passions and to show off their impressive work.

Their Academic Showcase presentation highlighted issues with quality healthcare in the rural areas of Nebraska.

“I have been passionate about rural healthcare since high school, but one of my peers, Jenna Sterling, inspired me to shed light on this problem in this way. Myah and I were immediately onboard,” said Reed.

Healthcare is vital to everyone’s quality of life, yet Reed, Sterling and Brown found that federal and state agencies note there are shortages of medical professionals in rural Nebraska. Many may not realize the urgency of this issue, but Reed and her peer’s research highlights its importance.

“Some specialties have as few as zero to one provider for every 10,000 residents,” Reed said. “A solution needs to happen quickly or we risk allowing rural areas to fall further behind, leaving a large part of our population with nothing.”

The importance of healthcare pushed the three to suggest solutions to this issue in hopes of benefitting not only Nebraska, but the entire country.

Reed emphasized this issue is prominent in all underserved communities across America. The group found that proactive recruitment, mentorship and working with educational institutions will help these communities and contribute to the growth and sustainability of the larger population.

“When people have access to healthcare close to home, they’re more likely to stay, raise families and contribute locally,” Reed said.

With plans on becoming a healthcare provider herself, Reed said she decided to use Ď㽶ĘÓƵ as an educational stepping stone in order to do so. She plans on returning to a rural area to be part of the solution. Her dedication and passion towards this subject will create a positive impact not only on her community, but her career.

“Providing quality healthcare also takes recognition of the bigger picture and what challenges people can face when coming to a provider. In knowing this now I will be able to empathize with other professionals in my field and understand that building connections with them is an important part in keeping them in rural communities,” Reed said.

Reed, Sterling and Brown want to spread awareness to try and help underserved communities and strive for a solution that will benefit all.

“Awareness can start with just conversation,” Reed said. “Simply talking about rural healthcare access and the challenges providers face can help reduce stigma and bring attention to the issue. The more people who understand this issue, the greater chance we have of creating meaningful change.”

By Rachel Ritzmann a business administration and marketing major from Broomfield, Colorado

Now, the biology grad is about to graduate medical school and start her residency.