“People stop to look all the time,” Huxtable said. “You can see the pumpkins from the road, and people walk up to the patch. Kids, especially, are fascinated. If they’re wandering through, the only thing I ask is that they don’t step on the vines.”

Huxtable has a knack for growing things, from real estate to gargantuan squash. His business, Windermere Real Estate in Renton, Washington, eventually grew to 62 agents and, over about 20 years, sold an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 homes. After retiring to Michigan, Huxtable brought that same work ethic and persistence to his passion for growing pumpkins of extraordinary proportions.

“I’d like to grow a 1,000-pounder,” he said. “Last year, I grew one that weighed 896 pounds, but I’m not having as good of luck this year. My largest will probably weigh around 700 pounds.”

Growing pumpkins the size of a refrigerator isn’t as easy as it looks. Huxtable begins the process in May by planting genetically superior seeds (the best can cost up to $100 each) in disposable Solo cups. He places the cups into a warm oven until they germinate, then onto a windowsill until the risk of frost passes and finally plants the seedlings into fertilized soil. In his jeans and �㽶��Ƶ cap, he spends about an hour a day tending the pumpkins.

“I offer the pumpkins some words of encouragement before I leave the patch at night,” he said. “And I make anyone who comes to see them offer their encouragement…and pick a few weeds.”

His 896-pound pumpkin placed seventh at the 2025 Michigan Pumpkin Growers Association weigh-off in St. Johns, Michigan. The competition attracts giant-produce enthusiasts who lug in pumpkins and other massive fruits and vegetables, including a 6.5-pound tomato, a 1,000-pound squash and a 20-foot cornstalk. In the pumpkin division, the winner weighed nearly a ton.

After harvest, Lake City public works crews use a forklift and flatbed truck to move Huxtable’s pumpkins to different places in the community like the local library, barber shop and city welcome sign. High school art students and the women’s auxiliary decorate the pumpkins. Kids pose on top while their parents take photos.

Once the pumpkins begin to deteriorate, Huxtable donates them to local dairy farms, where cows happily consume them.

Taking root at Hastings

Huxtable, originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, and son of a Presbyterian pastor, chose �㽶��Ƶ because he wanted to attend a small liberal arts college. His sister Ann Huxtable-Scates graduated from HC in 1980.

A business administration graduate, Huxtable especially remembers Professor Roger Doerr, with whom he has remained friends.
“I enjoyed the smallness of the campus,” Huxtable said. “You weren’t really lost there. It was a really close-knit group of people, and we had a lot of fun.”

He returned to Hastings for his 50-year Golden Graduation in 2023 and reconnected with classmates he hadn’t seen in decades.

“It was fun to see everybody and get reacquainted,” he said. “Since then, I’ve kept up with some of my friends that I hadn’t seen in literally 40 or 50 years. Now we stay in touch and have rendezvoused several times in Columbus, Lincoln and Omaha.”

A legacy that keeps growing

Over the years, Huxtable has continued to support �㽶��Ƶ financially. Most notably, he established the Huxtable Family Scholarship in memory of his wife, Denise, who died in 2020.

The scholarship reflects her career as a systems analyst for AT&T and Westin Hotels and Resorts, as well as her interest in computers and technology. Its focus has evolved to include areas such as criminology. The scholarship also carries a connection to Huxtable’s own Hastings experience, particularly his love of music.

“I really enjoyed singing in the choir,” he said. “That was an hour every day that I loved participating in. You had to step up your game because the choir members were very talented.”

For Huxtable, whether he’s nurturing a career in real estate, a giant pumpkin or an endowed scholarship, the goal is much the same: to grow something worthwhile and leave something behind for others to enjoy.

“The scholarship will go on long after I’m gone,” he said. “I’m trying to get the scholarship built up to where it will be a really meaningful amount of support for a student. That’s my goal.”

By Judee Konen ’85

Johnson, a business administration major from Frederick, Colorado, attended a career fair hosted by �㽶��Ƶ’s Career Services team in March and found herself face-to-face with a manager from Enterprise, a travel agency most known for their rental car access. The next day, the manager contacted Johnson and asked her to apply for the summer internship program, where she and 19 other interns learning the challenges of rental car services.

Johnson’s day to day tasks mostly consisted of inventory, keeping track of pricing and calling customers to locate rentals. Beyond that, she gained experience in how to contact customers in regards to insurance claims on those vehicles, and learned a lot about what happens behind the scenes experience, too.

“What’s fascinating is our advertisements show we have 150 cars to rent out, but they’re all actively being used by customers,” Johnson said. “Yet we have to keep up with marketing the vehicles, or there won’t be future reservations.”

Johnson’s biggest challenge has come from the longer work weeks, but because she is in such a social position it has balanced out quite well. The interactions with customers and fellow interns gave her something to look forward to during a day full of inventory spreadsheets and mathematics for insurance claims on damaged rental returns.

“Forty hours over the summer is a lot, especially when that feels like the minimum amount I’m working some days,” she said.

Johnson said she wants to stay within Hastings or Grand Island after her upcoming summer graduation, especially if she is able to return to Enterprise. For her, it’s a step in the right direction, as it allows her to apply the skills she has picked up in her business courses at �㽶��Ƶ.

The classes have allowed her to learn how to work in a team, how to converse with customers and adjust spreadsheets to keep track of rentals and related numbers.

“I’ve really enjoyed the experience I’ve gotten at Enterprise,” Johnson said, “it’s allowed me to narrow down what I want to do as a career, especially if it involves face to face interaction or working to support other organizations.”

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

“A place is a lot more than the bricks on the ground or the ceiling tiles,” Campbell said. “It’s the experiences you have in it. It’s the people you get to meet. It’s the relationships you form, and it’s the stuff that you all do together.”

Block, a business administration and marketing double major from Hastings, was on the stage for Big Idea Hastings, pitching his business, Caden Block Media, as part of the “Shark Tank” style competition. Facing nine other competitors, Block earned second place. The win secured him business coaching, access to planning services and a monetary prize.

Block’s interest in entrepreneurship goes back to when he was young and mowing lawns for people he knew. “That was kind of a spark for me. It showed what I could do if I worked hard and went the extra step to work for myself,” Block said.

He first became interested in videography and photography as a senior in high school, when a video board was installed in the school’s gymnasium. For students to help manage the board during athletic and other events, they had to enroll in a class. It was during that class Block said he found himself falling in love with media production.

Block was the Content Generation Award winner while at Hastings High School in 2023. The award was earned from a challenge hosted by Class Intercom, a program focused on social media management for schools.

He took the title of the challenge, “Make an Impact,” and connected it to his own experiences as a mentor with MentoringWorks, a local non-profit that matches elementary school students with a high school role model. He interviewed the program directors and his mentee, and used his knowledge of video production to capture b-roll footage.

Caden Block Media is currently focused on real estate media, between 360 walkthrough tours, aerial images, videos and other assets that help agents promote and sell properties. “That’s where I got my start,” Block said, “There’s a need for modern development in the market.”

Block said he plans to use his winnings from Big Idea Hastings to purchase more gear, such as an extra camera and lens, to help create quality content. The extra gear will also allow him to hire an employee in the future to help serve more clients and grow his business.

Aside from the continued assistance Block will be getting from placing second at Big Idea Hastings, he emphasized the other benefits of public speaking, including working on his confidence and sharing his company’s vision to potential future clients who were in the audience.

Beyond real estate, Block also works with other organizations on event recaps and promotions. He also assists various companies with creating and sharing advertisements.

“Caden is incredibly talented, creative and driven, and his excitement for his work is contagious,” said Dave Rippe, owner of Queen City Development in Hastings. “He has coordinated all of the marketing efforts for our Trailside Village Housing development, and I’m consistently amazed with his enthusiasm and innovative ideas.”

As a one man enterprise, Block said there’s been many challenges. One such was being sought out to produce videos for the annual banquet held by Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce.

Block’s task was to highlight eight organizations or people, meaning producing eight videos in a month. Despite the long hours, he pushed through the project, and was proud of the outcome. He received shoutouts afterwards — and a list of potential clients.

“It feels good to be recognized for the work you do,” Block said.

Block said Jarod Rogers, a media instructor at �㽶��Ƶ, has served as a mentor to him, providing support even back when he was in high school. He said he’s also grateful for the students he has surrounded himself with on campus, and that their shared ambition and drive allows them all to push each other to do more.

When asked about advice he’d wish he had received, Block said, “Take that leap, invest in yourself, both personally and financially. Don’t be afraid to start.”

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

The Castle Rock, Colorado, native is a double major in accounting and business administration. With many family members working as accountants, the internship allowed Yost to finally see himself on that same path.

“It’s allowed me to realize that this is something I want to pursue. It has made me feel better because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and now just being there I love it,” Yost said. “My dad is an accountant and growing up it was hard for me to understand what he does, but now I have a greater appreciation for it.”

Yost spent his time managing spreadsheets, documents and reports to support coworkers and partners. While the data-heavy nature of accounting can be a challenge, Yost learned to navigate the workload by leaning into the firm’s collaborative culture.

“I’m constantly communicating with higher partners that have more experience. I learn by doing and they have taught me how to do things I have difficulty with,” Yost said.

The supportive environment at CORE CPAs proved to be a highlight for Yost.

“It makes me feel accomplished. I found something that I’m good at and that I really enjoy doing,” he said.

Yost said he’s learned many things working for this company and is excited to see where it can take him.

“I consistently work with my coworkers to figure out which tasks I can work on so I’m not idle. It’s helped me gain basic work experience and allows me to prepare for the future to help clients in the best ways possible,” Yost said.

Yost found this internship through a family member who encouraged him to apply. He received help from the �㽶��Ƶ Career Services staff that helped prepare him for the application process. He also spoke to classmates who enjoyed their internships at the same company.

In the classroom, accounting professors Carmen Van O’Linda and Dave Carpenter provided the foundation Yost needed to succeed in the field. “The things I learn in class and the assignments I do have all helped me work towards this internship and prepared me for the workload,” Yost said.

Yost plans on graduating in May 2026 and will work towards his certified public accountant (CPA) designation. He hopes to use his time at CORE CPAs to complete those requirements before taking the CPA exam.

“This will help propel my career. I find it fun and enjoyable and it allows me to connect not only with other people, but my family as well,” Yost said. “I can’t wait for my first client because I love helping people, and this is a way I can do that.”

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

Butler, a business major and construction management minor from Hastings, spent his summer as an intern with Turner Construction. While Turner is headquartered in Omaha, Butler’s “office” was much closer to home: the construction site of The 1882, �㽶��Ƶ’s new residence hall that will open in fall 2026.

“As a student at Hastings, it was awesome to be a part of this project,” Butler said. “Seeing how a project like this will change the campus for a long time — it’s a great feeling.”

During the internship, Butler swapped his textbooks for blueprints, getting a front-row seat to the lifecycle of a major build. From studying architectural drawings to coordinating with builders on-site, he gained a high-level view of how a vision becomes a structure.

The experience wasn’t just about steel and concrete; it was about communication. Butler worked alongside veteran managers, learning how to communicate with builders and architects. He also gained experience with industry-standard management software that helps keep the project on track.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but the experience was great,” said Butler, who also plays for the Broncos football team. “This internship not only solidified my interest in construction management, but it provided practical experience that will be beneficial for my entire career.”

With a practiced rhythm, he guides the tree into a shaker that rattles loose needles and debris before he trims a one-inch puck from the trunk. He presses a small branding iron into the slice, stamping it with the Pine Patch logo to create a keepsake ornament. He wraps the tree in netting, and a worker hoists it onto the roof rack of the family’s gray SUV.

One more Christmas memory is heading home.

In the Pine Patch barn, where giant nutcracker soldiers stand guard, shelves and tables brim with Christmas decor for sale – wreaths, porch pots and table arrangements. Nikayla Kindig, Joe’s spouse, and their three-month-old son, Jax, greet customers and offer candy canes and Christmas coloring books while holiday music plays in the background. A few lucky kids even get to talk to Santa on a walkie-talkie.

“The tree farm during Christmas is never a transaction; it’s only tradition. I get so much joy,” said Kindig, who began working at the farm as a �㽶��Ƶ student and bought the place in 2021. “I’ve been taking photos of the same families since 2011 and watching their kids and grandkids grow, seeing families as they change. It’s a tradition that has far surpassed a price tag. It’s a lot of fun when you see people coming to Hastings from Salina, Kansas; Beatrice, Lincoln, Grand Island and Omaha, just because we’ve created a tradition.”

From the 1,000 evergreens Kindig cultivates on a one-acre plot, he sells about 100 each year and lets the others continue to mature. He sells another 500 large pre-cut Christmas trees shipped in from Michigan.

“Nikayla and I got engaged at the tree farm, and her dad built the barn,” Kindig said. “Everything I hate doing in a business, those are her strong suits. As a tandem effort, we are an entrepreneurial couple.”

At Pine Patch, Christmas trees make up 20 percent of the inventory, while the rest are landscape varieties such as oak, maple, birch and locust. Kindig grows 700 landscape trees each year and sells roughly 500 to area households and businesses. He offers his expertise to �㽶��Ƶ as a member of its Tree Campus USA Committee.

The barn, in addition to serving as a showroom during the Christmas season, doubles as an event venue for weddings, showers, graduation parties and other special occasions. Constructed from pine and douglas fir, the charming structure includes a kitchenette, buffet line, restrooms and even a bridal dressing area on the top level.

“We built the barn in 2022,” Kindig said. “From November to December, it’s a Christmas wonderland. From January to the end of October, Nikayla runs the venue portion. We can accommodate about 100 people.”

Branching out in other ventures

As if running a tree farm didn’t keep them busy enough, the couple also owns Barista’s, another local business where Kindig worked during college. They bought the original location in north Hastings in 2020 and last spring added Barista’s Downtown.

“I graduated from �㽶��Ƶ and bought the two businesses where I used to be an employee, so here we are,” Kindig said.

Yet another venture — Hastings Complete Lawns, a mowing business he started after graduating from St. Cecilia High School — shares employees with the Pine Patch Tree Farm. In addition to mowing lawns for customers and for several rental properties Kindig owns in Hastings, the employees hang Christmas lights at local residences and commercial properties, even decorating Downtown Hastings for the annual Celebration of Lights festivities.

Kindig’s three local businesses employ more than 20 full- and part-time workers. He estimates that 75 percent are attending or have graduated from �㽶��Ƶ.

“My education at �㽶��Ƶ played a vital role in learning how to run a business,” Kindig said. “In addition to the courses in my business major, my major helped me be more relatable in dealing with customers and staff. I pride myself on the fact that my current and previous employees become friends for life. Without communication, you have no business.”

Kindig’s entrepreneurial mindset even extends to his eventual retirement plans 30-40 years down the road. He bought a home in Estes Park, Colorado, a beloved location where his grandparents owned property, and is renting it out as an Airbnb.

“We want to buy at least one Airbnb rental a year in other states we enjoy, like Arizona,” Kindig said. “That’s our retirement plan. We can go and visit each one.”

By Judee Konen ’85

Karr has always wanted to dive deeper into the business side of agriculture, and this summer’s internship, with Loup-Platte Agronomics Inc., is giving him more experience as he works toward his planned career as an agronomist.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue a business degree in agriculture so I decided to minor in agribusiness to learn more about it,” Karr said.

Karr saw this internship posted online by the company, which is based in Grand Island, Nebraska. He applied and had one interview over the phone and another in-person.

Karr spends most of his time scouting and monitoring fields so Loup-Platte Agronomics can make recommendations to help give farmers the best opportunity for the highest yields.

“We check for plant health and soil health. Every week there is something new to check: weeds, chemicals, insects and more. I’ve learned a lot of new identifications for weeds and insects,” Karr said. “This summer, I’ve been trying to learn more about all types and kinds of pests that are in the fields.”

Karr said he believes agriculture is important in many ways. He grew up around agriculture and he said it’s all he’s ever known. Agricultural communities are very important to him and he sees how vital it is for everyone and he wants to contribute.

“I grew up around agriculture so I feel like I know how to do it pretty well, but want to expand my knowledge. There is a constant and increasing demand for it. I believe it’s really important that there are good agronomists who can help farmers, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn and work alongside some great agronomists this summer,” Karr said.

Karr said business classes at �㽶��Ƶ helped prepare him for the internship. After he graduates, he originally planned to work for an established agriculture company, but an entrepreneurial class and his internships have him thinking about starting his own business.

“I’ve been taking a summer entrepreneurship class that got me thinking I could do this,” Karr said. “This is a private agronomy business, and my class has opened my eyes to maybe starting my own business.”

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

“The cranes are a captivating species. They’re big, they’re easy to see and watch, and 1.25 million come together in one place. There are not many places where you can see a migration of that scale all at once,” said Matt Fong ’05, director of fundraising and outreach for Crane Trust, a nature and visitor center near Wood River, Nebraska, that welcomes 60,000 bird enthusiasts and nature lovers each year, half of them during Crane season.

“This spring we had someone visit from every single state in the U.S.,” Fong said. “For our overnight VIP program, we had folks from Canada, England and China. It’s really amazing to see people from all over the world come to Central Nebraska.”

Along with his fundraising duties, the business administration and media production graduate works to draw national attention to the annual phenomenon. In March, CBS Sunday Morning sent a videographer to film the cranes for “Moment in Nature,” the closing segment of the iconic program. Smithsonian Magazine ran a feature story.

Fong said the public’s fascination is easy to understand. Sandhill Cranes stand four-feet-tall and boast a wingspan of six to seven feet. Gray-plumed with a patch of red on their heads, the cranes mate for life and engage in elaborate dancing rituals with leaps, calls and elegant bows. A flock of more than 500 Whooping Cranes, a highly endangered species, joins the massive crane migration each year.

Visitors on guided tours watch the cranes from riverfront blinds. The Trust’s “high touch” VIP program offers overnight lodging in cottages and suites, catered meals and sunrise and sunset viewing from heated blinds. The past two years, �㽶��Ƶ reserved a block of rooms for alumni and special guests.

“So many visitors say this trip has been on their bucket list for a decade,” Fong said. “How wonderful is it to spend time with someone who’s fulfilling a bucket list item?”

Beyond crane season, the Trust welcomes visitors and educates the community year-round. As chief fundraiser, Fong visits donors and foundations and prepares grant proposals and solicitation pieces. He connects with the public and oversees special events and membership services.

His team includes �㽶��Ƶ alumni Sarah Nottage-Tacey ’04, development and special events coordinator, and Matt Urbanski ’23, a Crane Trust Fellow before being hired as marketing coordinator. Venn Wood ’26, a junior from Lincoln, Nebraska, majoring in wildlife biology, will intern at Crane Trust this summer.

Protecting the environment, serving the community

Raised on a farm near Lexington, Nebraska, Fong has been drawn to the natural world since childhood. He gardens, landscapes and spent several years on the Hastings Tree Board. After graduating from �㽶��Ƶ, he coordinated conferences and seminars for the Arbor Day Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to planting trees.

During a 15-year tenure at �㽶��Ƶ as director of alumni development, chief of staff and eventually associate vice president for external relations, Fong continued to find ways to connect with nature. He served on the Arboretum Committee, which oversees tree planting on the 120-acre campus and, with Emeritus Professor Will Locke ’61, started a Legacy Tree program that allows supporters to sponsor a tree in memory or in honor of a person or group.

In November, Fong will complete his second four-year term on the City Council. A longtime board member for The Lark, a local nonprofit and performance space, he helped found the Hastings Young Professionals and received Leadership Hastings’ 2022 Outstanding Alumni Award.

“Kaleena (Reeves Fong ’05) and I want to give back to the community, and Hastings is a place we love very much,” he said. “We enjoy being part of things that make the community better.”

A life journey rooted in nature

At Crane Trust, Fong has found the perfect environment to grow and nurture his lifelong passion for nature.

His workplace is a stunning visitor center amid 10,000 acres of wildlife habitat and prairie ecosystem. Working in jeans most days (a perk of the job), he takes visitors and supporters down a pathway flanked by a pollinator garden and a small research herd of American Bison, leading to a 35-foot observation tower, two picturesque footbridges crossing the Platte River and 10 miles of hiking trails. And, for one month each year, he welcomes more than a million majestic cranes to the shallow waterways and shifting sandbars just a few hundred feet from his office.

“The arc of your life is so interesting,” he said. “I vividly remember sitting at my grandmother’s table, looking at her bird book and trying to identify what species were at the bird feeder. I’ve always had a passion for birds, and I’ve always cared about the outdoors and the environment. All those pieces of my life have come together. I feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

By Judee Konen ’85

His journey as a drafting intern really started when he was in middle school when he modeled homes out of foam and wood. He soon realized there was more to architecture than just building.

“While I was taking STEM classes in middle school, I really enjoyed designing and crafting models of houses from the craft supplies. Seeing the end result of my models made my passion for architecture grow stronger,” Call said.

He found the internship opportunity from a flier and decided to apply.

“After I saw the flier, I went to Carissa Urchmacher in Career Services, and she helped build my resume, which made me feel more secure about the interview. She made sure I was prepared in every way physically and mentally,” Call said.

Call’s typical internship workday consisted of drafting renovations in a software program. He also collaborated with �㽶��Ƶ alumna Kelsey Zadina ‘22. Call said working with Zadina helped him tremendously in learning more about the drafting process when it comes to projects and designing.

“Memorizing every dimension and average size can be challenging, but Kelsey has been so helpful and has gifted me a guidebook of all the numbers needed for the job, which makes it easier to study,” he said.

Call was a part of a large project that deals with the interior remodeling of a sorority house at a university in Lincoln, Nebraska. The project uses the original 1950 plans, and Call is helping draft the current plans based on the historical layout.

Though challenges arise, Call said he focused on the reward of seeing the finished products and happy customers.

“I love being able to see my hard work come out in the finished product. We are building dream homes for our customers, so it’s gratifying to see people pleased with our work,” Call said.

Through his internship, Call said he applied his business administration knowledge gained from his �㽶��Ƶ classes. He credits his business law classes with Dr. Bruce Batterson in helping him understand the business aspects of commercial companies.

“His classes have helped me because I now know how companies set up their product specifications and how to find all the necessary information.” he said.

Call said he was grateful for the internship opportunity, which has opened the door to his architectural career. After graduation, he plans to move to Montana, work at an architecture firm so he can continue designing dream homes for clients.

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