“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 �㽶��Ƶ Career Services staff helped him apply for the position. He credits �㽶��Ƶ 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 �㽶��Ƶ 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 �㽶��Ƶ.

“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.

What happens when theories of religion, geography, modern life and nature are combined? �㽶��Ƶ students Emma Morelli and Claire Fuqua went to a five-week Summer Youth Internship (SYI) at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) this past summer to find out.

Fuqua, a sophomore wildlife biology and philosophy & religion major from Woodland Park, Colorado; and Morelli, a senior history major from Thornton, Colorado, were two of 12 students from across the country who were selected for SYI.

SYI is an internship that focuses on finding hope through spiritual practice and theological reflection in times of crisis. The participants did some community organizing and learned about how religion impacts geography and the history of Pittsburgh.

Both students were very excited about being selected and the program itself.

“It was such a wonderful opportunity,” Morelli said. “I wanted to see how different people’s experiences contrasted with mine.”

Fuqua said that her peers were by far the best part.

“It was cool to be surrounded by people who were interested in religion and science and how they worked together,” Fuqua said.

During a typical week, Monday and Tuesday mornings were dedicated to workshops, and the afternoons would be for small group discussions. Wednesdays were reserved for Tazié and exploring Pittsburgh and the rich outdoor opportunities in western Pennsylvania. Thursdays were for experimental learning at the Garfield community farms.

Each student received a notebook to write down what they had learned over the five weeks. Their goals were to talk about ecotheology, theological geography and vocation.

Fuqua and Morelli received $3,000 for full participation in the program, and their room, board and travel were covered by a stipend. They will also be eligible to apply for additional funding through the Fellowship for Contextual Ministry and Community Research program.

PTS was founded in the 1790s and is a graduate theological school of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offering master’s and doctor of ministry degrees as well as certificate programs. SYI is offered for undergraduate students interested in religion and how it shapes our world.

The two students found out about the program from �㽶��Ƶ religion professor Dr. Dorothy Dean.

“Dr. Dean went out of her way to send me the application,” Fuqua said. “It doesn’t matter that I get accepted, it matters that they thought of me.”

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

On field trips to the farm-based center west of Hastings, preschoolers scamper down tree-lined trails, collect seeds and make pies in the outdoor mud kitchen. First-through-sixth graders explore topics like food webs and ecosystems, plants and pollinators. �㽶��Ƶ theater students perform one-act plays in the old horse barn. Local residents take quiet strolls through moonlit prairie grass or learn how to plant a garden or make sourdough bread. Families gather between the barns to enjoy bluegrass and folk bands at the Flatwater Music Festival.

More than 8,000 visitors each year participate in Prairie Loft’s classes, field trips and summer camps, as well as private events like wedding receptions and company retreats.

“Our goal is to get as many people as possible outside, enjoying nature and connecting to the agricultural heritage that’s so important in our area,” said Arrington-Williams, who grew up camping and hiking in her native Colorado. “We teach people where their food and fuel and fibers come from, and we help them enjoy the recreational and wellness benefits of nature.”

Before joining Prairie Loft in May 2023, Arrington-Williams used her skills in writing, marketing, fundraising and event planning at several local organizations. For two years, she was an admissions counselor at �㽶��Ƶ. She started a business magazine and directed operations and marketing at a craft brewing company. In her off time, she attended Prairie Loft events and volunteered on the Flatwater Music Festival planning committee.

“Prairie Loft was one of those places that really touched my heart when I graduated from �㽶��Ƶ and was deciding whether to go home to Colorado or put down roots in Hastings,” she said. “When I heard the executive director position was open, I had an intuitive hit saying ‘that’s my job.’ Being able to come back as the organizational leader is pretty fantastic.”

From working farm to educational center

Prairie Loft’s roots go deep into the history of Adams County, Arrington-Williams said. Its four renovated barns and farm buildings stand on 8.3 acres that were originally part of Ingleside, a working farm managed by the former Hastings Regional Center psychiatric facility. Patients and staff grew vegetables and crops and tended the dairy herd, chickens, turkeys and pigs. Produce was used to feed those housed at the hospital.

In 2019, Prairie Loft secured additional land through a management agreement with the State of Nebraska, including 15 acres of farm ground planted and harvested by volunteers and 50 acres of diverse ecosystem for nature trails and outdoor learning.

“We have grassland and trees and forest cover. We have a variety of wildlife,” Arrington-Williams said. “A lot of biodiversity is within walking distance. That’s what makes it really special.”

While a full-time program manager teaches and coordinates youth classes and camps, Arrington-Williams focuses on adult education and the tasks that keep a nonprofit running smoothly — community engagement, board relations, event planning, marketing and communications, and financial oversight and fundraising.

The fundraising piece is especially critical as Prairie Loft prepares to launch the final phase of a $1.5 million capital campaign to renovate the Workshop Barn that once housed farm equipment. Donors have already provided funds to build out the Pershing Prairie boardroom and Big R’s commercial kitchen. Additional donations will be used to finish a meeting and classroom space.

Future plans include renovating a red horse barn donated by the late Dr. John “Doc” Yost, an orthopedic surgeon who was volunteer physician for �㽶��Ƶ athletic teams for more than 25 years.

“We’d like to use the barn as an ag-focused classroom space where children can have hands-on, tactile experiences,” Arrington-Wlliams said.

Connecting neighbors with nature

The mother of two young sons, Arrington-Williams is always busy, whether she’s coordinating the Harvestfest at Prairie Loft or teaching a yoga class. Her penchant for multi-tasking began early when she majored in media production at �㽶��Ƶ while pursuing minors in Spanish and philosophy, writing for the “Collegian” student newspaper, leading tours for the Public Relations Council and ending her senior year with Who’s Who honors.

“I feel like �㽶��Ƶ prepared me to think critically and not be afraid to take risks and learn something new,” she said.

At Prairie Loft, her creative passion is fueled by connecting the community with this region’s rich agricultural legacy and prairie landscapes.

“Being able to pay homage to a space that has such historical significance and is such an important resource for our community is a huge honor. It drives me forward every day,” she said.

By Judee Konen ’85

The summer before his senior year, Johnson was looking for a job opportunity that could provide him with experience in his field. Covid-19 made it harder to find exactly what he was looking for, but with the help of career services, he learned about a job at Prairie Loft as a program guide for kids’ day camps throughout the summer. Johnson was interested in the position for its environmental aspects, but knew working with kids would take him out of his comfort zone.

“It was something that was a bit uncomfortable for me because I wouldn’t have considered myself really good with kids then,” Johnson said. “But it’s also kind of helped me build my confidence.”

During his first summer at Prairie Loft, Johnson learned that emulating the energy of the kids you’re working with, makes everyone experience better. He explained that despite the fact that he wasn’t with a group of kids for very long, having that energy and enthusiasm that he may not show in his own daily life, helped the campers find a more fulfilling experience.

While Johnson was most nervous about working with kids, he made a large effort to bring a lively energy to each camp he worked at because Amy Sandeen, executive director of Prairie Loft, trusts Johnson implicitly.

“He has a rare combination of empathy and energy that you don’t see very often,” Sandeen said. “He can connect with people in a really comfortable and open way that gets other people excited and energized to try and do things.”

After having a good experience and making such a good impression on Sandeen, Johnson decided to work at Prairie Loft for a second summer. “It was a great opportunity so I did it again. Also it was fun and I really enjoyed myself,” Johnson said.

Sandeen explained that she has had many opportunities to work with �㽶��Ƶ students because of the long standing connection between Prairie Loft and �㽶��Ƶ. Ever since Prairie Loft started doing summer programs in 2013, �㽶��Ƶ students have been working at them. But more than that, Sandeen has been able to partner with multiple professors to either help facilitate a course or give them a secondary space for their class.

“We’ve always partnered with professors who want that change of scene and want to do that experiential learning off campus,” Sandeen said. “We are convenient and well suited for creative writing, wellness classes, sociology, bioethics, botany, biology, psychology, education, and more.”

Sandeen explains that there are a lot of students who become staff at Prairie Loft after taking courses there, and Johnson is no different as he took a course with Dr. Stephanie Furrer and Sandeen at Prairie Loft his junior year.

Johnson explained that his two summers at Prairie Loft allowed him to discover more about his passions. Prairie Loft helped him understand that when it comes to environmental issues, the community and all people have to be involved and connecting people in order to understand that is important.

This fall he is attending the University of Wyoming to pursue a law degree in environment natural resource law and a master of arts in environmental natural resources.

“Prairie Loft has helped me to explore my interests. Connecting me with the surrounding community allowed me to see what all is possible,” Johnson said.

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

“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 �㽶��Ƶ.

Erickson started writing plays during her time at �㽶��Ƶ, 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

Some students spend months searching for the opportunity that will give them real world experience, networking and pieces to add to their portfolio. For seniors Avery Muff and Christian Hessler, the Corning Museum of Glass, an internationally renowned glass museum in Corning, New York, proved to be the perfect opportunity.

Muff, who grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, is a philosophy and studio art double major with an emphasis in glass blowing. His love of glass blowing only began during the summer of his junior year at �㽶��Ƶ. “I’ve had many interests, but glass blowing is it for me,” said Muff.

“I took a glass blowing class on a whim,” he said. “I was drawn to the elegance of the material and that made me curious about what it could do. Glass is a fascinating medium, with a fascinating history. Every time I gather glass out of the furnace, I’m lit up and motivated.”

Hessler, also a Hastings native, studies computer science and studio art. “I decided that glass was my medium because it was the only thing that occupied my mind,” he said. “It is the only thing that I’m excited about doing every time I do it. I love glass.”

The duo scored internships at the Corning Museum of Glass, where another �㽶��Ƶ graduate has worked for many summers, and made the 19 hour trip from Hastings to Corning in May 2021.

The job required Muff and Hessler to work five days a week perfecting their craft.

Primarily, the two were “on the floor” with three to four other artists for about 40 hours a week. Hessler explained that a typical workday included a rotating schedule.

“There’s a greeter who welcomes guests onto the floor to meet Avery or myself,” Hessler said. “Us as artists have 15 minutes with the guests where we’re sculpting ornaments and special projects, and then the process repeats itself.”

Over the course of 16 weeks, the pair adapted skills they call “The Corning Way” — which Muff explained means “you learn how to make a good sculpture every single time.”

Beyond the development of micro-skills needed to become a skilled glassblower, the two grew their network.

“You’re surrounded by a cohort of glassblowers, there’s flame working and you tend to see glassblowing in so many variations,” Muff said.

Hessler said when asked to work with others, “you don’t say no. You get your name out there, share skills and learn skills.”

Both artists said that the journey to Corning was made possible by the experiences they had at �㽶��Ƶ. For Muff it was a single class. For Hessler, it was a professor who saw his talent.

“Immediately after starting a beginner class,” Hessler said, “I felt this passion ignite and Tom Kreager, my professor then, saw that as well.”

Hessler said Kreager invited him to every one of his blow slots for gallery showings and it wasn’t until he saw his name in a pamphlet at a gallery that he realized he could pursue the technical skills required for glassblowing.

“I’ve developed so much as a glassblower,” he said. “You know something is for you when it doesn’t feel like work.”

By Kiante Stuart, a junior from Nassau, The Bahamas, majoring in communications studies, business administration and marketing.

During his work as a project manager, the communication studies and philosophy graduate explored the world of application development and designed an online application process for the University of Nebraska–Omaha (UNO), where he also received a master’s degree in communication studies. It began with just one to two tasks in the realm of cybersecurity, but then grew steadily into becoming his sole focus.

“Finding a career has been a long-winding journey, but my time as a project manager allowed me to do cybersecurity work and led me to where I am today,” he said.

OPPD supplies power for more than 1 million people in the Omaha metro area and south to the Nebraska state line. Perdunn and his team have the task of protecting the organization from cybersecurity threats. As the interim director for information protection, Perdunn manages a team of more than 20 people and works with company stakeholders to make sure expectations are met continuously.

He meets with many people, from small to large groups, to the board of directors and OPPD’s management teams every month. Perdunn said his communication studies degree is used every day.

“My profession is non-stop communication, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the skills my �㽶��Ƶ courses taught me,” he said.

Perdunn also uses his philosophy degree — especially in working with those inside the company, including those his team has to investigate. Perdunn said ethics are critical when working with fellow employees, and that it’s important to look at the data instead of being sidetracked by personal relationships.

Perdunn said his favorite part of the job is working with his team. He said the team is made up of smart, capable people who do the real work of defending OPPD. Part of his focus is to advocate for them and help them be successful.

“I love being able to see my team in action, I can’t be there all the time to make sure they do work correctly, but they don’t need me for that,” he said. “I’ve trained all of them to be problem-solvers, and a part of my leadership style is to be transparent so they can always follow through.”

On top of working with the OPPD, Perdunn teaches communication studies courses at UNO. His original plan with his master’s degree was to be a professor. He said he’s glad that his life has come full circle and can still do what he intended to do while working for OPPD.

“I’m excited about the classroom, it’s virtual this year, but I just love teaching, and it’s fun that I can do it in the way I am,” he said.

Along with working and teaching, Perdunn also volunteers with Court-Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) to give back to his community. Through his volunteer work with them, he has helped children in welfare programs go through the court process.

During his time at �㽶��Ƶ, Perdunn was involved in a number of activities, including being on the forensics team, working as a tour guide, hosting a radio show for the college radio station and playing for a time on the men’s soccer team. He said his time at the College has impacted who he is today.

“At �㽶��Ƶ, I could jump into different activities without even having a background in them,” he said. “The College fostered opportunities to learn, and with all of the activities I did in school, it makes me feel confident when trying new things today.”

By Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, majoring in communication studies and philosophy and religion.

The on-campus non-profit Food4Thought helped inspire these students to be more active citizens in their campus communities. Nash said her experience with the organization largely influenced her call to service. She served as its director and helped coordinate events on campus and in the community.

“It was humbling to take others stress away by providing families with food so they didn’t have to worry about where their next meal would come from,” she said.

Nash is attending Harvard Divinity School with an emphasis in mass incarceration and black liberation, and her end goal is not to become a minister but rather to use her education in a field related to incarceration. The Bronco Award winner initially majored in psychology, but graduated as psychology, sociology and religion triple major.

Former religion professor, Dr. Dan Deffenbaugh, also influenced all four students by pushing them to try new things outside of their comfort zones.

Nash said Deffenbaugh inspired her to apply to Harvard Divinity Exploration program, which allowed her to visit Cambridge, Massachusetts, to see what getting a masters there would look like.

“It feels like seminary school is where God is calling me to go, and He’s opened the doors toward that path,” Nash said.

After a nudge from the same professor, Soncksen completed a year of service at Casa Marianella. She worked as a case manager, operations coordinator and donations coordinator at the homeless shelter for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Austin, Texas.

“Deffenbaugh suggested I do a year of service and beforehand I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to seminary,” Soncksen said. “My year of service solidified my call to ministry.”

Deffenbaugh was not her only influence, as she was also a director for Food4Thought. She said it further developed her interest in service. Both ultimately led Soncksen to attend the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary to earn a masters in divinity.

Hawthorne is also attending school in Texas, at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She became interested in attending seminary school after working for Micah Corps last year.

Micah Corps is a program through the Great Plains United Methodist Church and is based on the Bible verse Micah 6:8: “Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.”

In her second year with Micah Corps, she has helped expand the program’s social justice focus by working more closely with a church community in Topeka, Kansas.

Hawthorne said seminary school originally felt out of character for her. She entered college aspiring to be a veterinarian but quickly realized that wasn’t the right career for her. She then jumped into sociology with an emphasis in peace, justice and social change.

“A big part of my faith is to care for others whenever and however I can. The whole community of Hastings, the College and the town made me feel welcome, and that I could make a difference,” she said.

Hawthorne was also a co-director for Food4Thought at �㽶��Ƶ, and she said it helped her use her faith to make a difference in the community—something she will continue to incorporate in her life.

Rohweder is attending Kenrick Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri. He said �㽶��Ƶ helped the decision to go to seminary school become a reality for him. It had always been in the back of his mind, he said, but �㽶��Ƶ solidified it.

When he began to apply to seminary schools, he was originally a mathematics major, but wanted to take philosophy and religion classes to prepare for his next step. To adjust to his need, he worked with faculty to design a personalized major called applied reason and logic, which mostly consisted of mathematics, philosophy, religion and some psychology.

Some of his most impactful experiences at �㽶��Ƶ involve talking with professors and coaches to gain a more in-depth insight into life as we know it, faith and the correlation between the two. He said Dr. Ali Beheler, Dr. Dan Deffenbaugh, Rev. Damen Heitmann, Dr. Travis Feezell, Dr. Doyle Daiss, Dr. Bruce Batterson, Dr. Robert Babcock, Dr. John Schneider, Dr. Mark Hall, Dr. Bobbi Buchholz and coaches Comron Yazdgerdi, Travis Bronson, Mark Gueswell, Matthew Buttermore, Brett Wells and Bill Gavers were vital in helping him to arrive at the position he’s in.

He said they helped him find answers to the questions he had on Christianity, develop a deeper appreciation for his faith and find many communities on campus.

“The sense of community on campus and the respect for different lifestyles, opinions and viewpoints were transformative for me,” Rohweder said.

By Courtney Hanson, a junior from Brookings, South Dakota, majoring in communication studies and philosophy and religion.

The national Order of the Arrow (OA) is a organization that recognizes Scouts who best exemplify the Boy Scout Oath and Law in all areas of their lives. The organization recognizes 150,000 members nationwide. The OA national conference brings together many groups, or lodges, of the OA to participate in events that last several days. Friend’s job concerned the building, maintenance and disassembly of the Goodman Edson Observatory.

The conference was held from July 30 to August 4, but the planning stages of the museum began in December 2017. The museum spanned more than 12,000 square feet, containing 260 panels and 280 surfaces all together to hold memorabilia. It took five days to set up, was on display for four and then was torn down in 12 hours.

Friend, who is majoring in art and minoring in philosophy at Hastings, described the experience as “awe inspiring.”

“It was really an amazing experience, because I got to see the planning stages of putting on a temporary museum,” he said. “I loved being able to see it all come together.”

The museum tells the story of OA through the relics it has on display, including drawings by Joshua Hunt, an influential member of the Boy Scout program, and paintings by Joseph Csatari, the Scouts official artist. It hosted vintage uniforms, the copy of the first Boy Scout handbook and a kiosk donated by OA to the hosts of the first national conference to commemorate the first event.

Along with hosting the temporary museum, the conference hosted a scavenger hunt, a special patch and a ribbon cutting ceremony that Friend aided in.

“The opening ceremony was one of the most exciting things that happened,” he said. “I was honored to cut the ribbon along with national officers and the national director. It was a great way to begin the conference.”

Along with helping build the museum, Friend was also a lodge leader and was elected section chief by members of the organization, after fulfilling the requirements of being of first class rank and having completed 15 days and nights of camping. Friend said he loved the experience of having to lead a group of 62 people during the conference.

Friend said his time at �㽶��Ƶ prepared him for his work at the conference.

“I began working at the gallery in Hastings and it gave me a little bit of insight on how museums work at a smaller level,” Friend explained, “With that in mind it was a lot less intimidating to go and put on a larger museum, because I already had the experience.”

Friend has aspirations of working in a museum after graduation, alongside making his own professional artwork. His opportunity at the OA conference gave him a chance to live those dreams, even if it was just for a summer.

By Maddie Downie, a junior from Evergreen, Colorado, majoring in English

For someone who has always been interested in reading and writing, Erickson hopes to change the perspective of readers with her now recently released book. Titled “The Nice Thing About Strangers,” it was released December 2015. Her book comprises of about 150 short, creative non-fiction stories that come from her blog.

Encouraged to write
“It was only when I got to �㽶��Ƶ that I was encouraged to share my writing,” said Erickson. “Dr. Darrel Lloyd helped me to embrace my love of literature, Dr. David Lovekin taught me to challenge myself and find connections between ideas and Dr. Rich Lloyd pushed me to experiment with different genres and share my work.”

While a student at Hastings, Erickson had several of her plays produced on campus. These included a one-act play titled “Whatever,” and a full-length play called “Half Empty,” which featured monologues performed by students from �㽶��Ƶ, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kansas State University.

With a degree in English and philosophy, Erickson went on to attend Kansas State University in 2002, where she earned her master’s in speech communication and theatre. She also earned a master’s in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004.

“I was fortunate that my professors at Hastings always said art and ideas can speak to each other, so I found it perfectly natural to pursue different fields and draw them together,” she said.

In 2005, Erickson returned to the Hastings campus to teach courses in philosophy and communications for four years. In 2008, she decided to leave Hastings and travel to places like Turkey, Austria and other locations in Europe, which is where the stories in her book take place.

“I did my roaming alone, and found that people who asked about my trips often wanted to hear if I’d had any negative experiences—if I was afraid, if I’d been mugged,” said Erickson. “However, I didn’t have bad news to share. I found strangers were incredibly kind to me. Over time I’d even stopped noticing problems or feeling anxious in travel, and I started to look for the silver lining even when delayed, lost or frustrated.”

Starting a blog
While traveling, Erickson took notes of her surroundings. She started her blog as a way to keep deadlines, finish small writing projects and to share the positive parts of her journey. Then she realized that a lot of scenes she wrote about could make useful stories.

At times, Erickson struggled with the idea of vulnerability and putting her ideas in book form. Writers like Steven Pressfield and Seth Godin helped ease her fears by recommending that authors, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. act despite their fears. According to these authors, those fears mean change and discovering more about one’s capacities and abilities.

“I’ve learned that there is a deep hunger for good news in our world today,” Erickson said. “People have contacted me to say the stories helped them to see the world with more patience or compassion. This delights me because my favorite books have done the same thing to my perspective. I’ve learned so much about myself from the books I’ve read, and from my opportunities for travel, so I am happy if readers can be part of that journey.”

“The Nice Thing About Strangers” is available through Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions.

Erickson even paid homage to her college town, writing a story in her book titled “I’m Thinking Lovely,” set at the Hastings exit from I-80.

By Amanda Miller, a senior from Woodland Park, Colorado majoring in journalism