A Warm YSEALI Welcome: Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative on UNO's Campus
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
Each year, cohorts of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, or YSEALI, visits the University of Nebraska at Omaha's campus to learn about civic engagement. This is their experience.
Losing pieces
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/Nebraska News Service
Click the image to view the multimedia.
When Joni Wimmer received a phone call in January of 2016 informing her of her son and his fiancé’s car accident, she thought it was a joke. A terrible joke. Her son’s fiancé Jessie had died on impact when a driver ran a red light t-boning the couple at the intersection of highways 92 and 77. Her son, Tanner, died four days in the hospital after Wimmer made the decision to pull the plug. The couple was driving to Lincoln to get more decoration supplies for their upcoming wedding in October.
Since that phone call, her life has been a series of holding it together and trying to not to lose pieces of her son. Wimmer, retired, spends her days going on walks with her son’s dog Boris along the trails of Lake Wanahoo in Wahoo, Nebraska as well as taking care of her son’s other dog Opie and her two Australian Shepherds. At night, she sleeps at her son’s home in Wahoo.
At this moment, Wimmer feels trapped, but also knows how hard moving on will be. As much as she wants to avoid losing more and more pieces of her son, she understands the unhealthy attachment to her only son and his former home.
The video was awarded eighth place out 90 students in the Hearst multimedia narrative storytelling competition in November 2020.
Crossing the Street: A Festival of Many Voices
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
Crossing the Street is a unique student-directed series of performances supported by our very own College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media. This incredible festival of short plays, poetry, and art design has been in the works since August of 2020 and is now able to give opportunities to performers across a range of races, ages, and the gender spectrum.
Garden provides learning opportunity for UNO students
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
UNO's Religion and Human Rights class is a Service Learning course collaborating with the Tri-Faith Initiative. This allows students to work outdoors in their garden doing everything from building garden beds, laying mulch, planting vegetables, and harvesting the vegetables.
Placing a Period
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
On May 13, 2022, UNO graduate Madeline Adams received something she's been waiting for since the early 1960s--her degree. Adams began her career at UNO in 1960 and attended school for a few years when life happened. With her family being the driving force behind her completing her degree, Adams gained her degree in Bachelors of Science degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Criminal Justice at the spry age of 80.
December 2021 Commencement
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
Over one thousand UNO students celebrated graduation at Baxter Arena on December 17.
Celebrating 50 years of Black Studies
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
Throughout the 2021-2022 school, the Department of Black Studies has been celebrating its 50 year anniversary and the work the Omaha 54 did to get the department established. The Omaha 54 is a group of students who conducted a sit-in in fall of 1969 asking that the university add more Black Studies classes. The sit-in resulted in the creation of a Black Studies Department. While the department has faced obstacles since 1971, today it celebrates 50 years of teaching Black Studies and looks on to the future of the department.
UNO Mascot Races in Rematch
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
Six-year-old Logan Smith of Indiana found himself in a foot race against Omaha-based mascots during the 2022 College World Series (phone video credit to Travis Bailey). However, the race didn't turn out as planned when Logan and UNO's mascot Durango collided. Logan had the opportunity to redeem himself in a second foot race, one-on-one with Durango at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha.
UNO student discusses weight loss journey
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg/University of Nebraska at Omaha
UNO student Joseph Wiese discusses his weight loss journey. Wiese hit the 150-pound weight loss goal in May 2021 and now maintains a healthy lifestyle biking to UNO's campus and utilizing the climbing wall at H & K Wellness Center.
Dancing stress away
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg
Junior Vanessa Reiser thought her dancing days were over when she began at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a biological sciences major. Dancing since she was three years old, it took her the first week of classes to realize that she needed to keep this activity in her life. She then added dance as her minor and enrolled in classes.
According to Reiser, she gets a lot of mixed reactions when saying she is both a biological science major and dance minor. She wouldn't want it any different.
Disaster 4339
Multimedia by Elsie Stormberg
After Hurricanes Irma and Maria, hundreds of thousands of people required aid across Puerto Rico. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, along with church groups and grassroots organizations provided supplies, food and water. But many Puerto Ricans have criticized the way this aid was carried out. FEMA refers to Maria as Disaster 4339.
For more information and other stories on the project visit: http://projects.newsnetnebraska.org/globaleyewitness/