October 6, 2025

31 Clifton Builders prepare to impact businesses, teams, communities

Thirty-one students — all members of the 10th cohort of the Clifton Builders Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincon — pose for a photograph in formal attire on the west side of Howard L. Hawks Hall.
Business

Business
The Clifton Strengths Institute at Nebraska recently welcomed 31 students into the Clifton Builders Program. The students declare a Clifton Builders Management major or minor and choose one of three tracks: business builder, team builder or community builder.

The Clifton Strengths Institute at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has selected 31 students for the 10th cohort of the Clifton Builders Program.

Housed in the College of Business, the program brings together students with high leadership and entrepreneurial potential and develops them to lead high-performance teams.

“We use three words to describe the Clifton Builders: stretch, disrupt and transform,” said Tim Hodges, Joan Heiser Endowed Presidential Chair, executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute and associate professor of practice in management. “We are intentional about helping students stretch and develop their unique strengths. Builders disrupt the status quo and work to make it better. They also transform their lives and the lives of those they lead and serve.”

The cohort-based program builds a close-knit community from day one, according to Kaitlin Ferris, the program’s assistant director. Students can declare a Clifton Builders management major or minor and choose a track based on their interests in building businesses, teams or communities. Each student also works with a Gallup-certified strengths coach to further develop as a leader.

“With a curriculum designed exclusively for our Clifton Builders, they gain the tools to develop as leaders and knowledge that will impact the growth and success of future organizations,” Ferris said.

The 2025 cohort of Clifton Builders, listed alphabetically by hometown with their academic major(s), is:

Nebraska

Fullerton:

  • Jaxson Sullivan, junior, marketing

Imperial:

  • Mason Tyerman, junior, marketing

Kearney:

  • Claire Gangwish, sophomore, Clifton Builders management

Lincoln:

  • Hajer Al-Eid, junior, Clifton Builders management
  • Mason Garcia, sophomore, Clifton Builders management
  • George Kane, sophomore, finance
  • Ainsley Scott, junior, microbiology
  • Ellie Volk, junior, advertising and public relations

Milford:

  • Gavin Dunlap, sophomore, finance

Neligh:

  • Leonardo Luna-Duran, sophomore, Clifton Builders management

Omaha:

  • Courtney Carlson, junior, accounting
  • Isabelle Johnson, sophomore, international business
  • Blake Kahler, sophomore, marketing
  • Ayden Longcor, sophomore, finance
  • Jack Parr, sophomore, finance
  • Jeremy Robson, junior, biochemistry
  • Annabelle Roubal, sophomore, business and law
  • Elijah Shaul, sophomore, finance

Papillion:

  • Isaac Lagman, junior, marketing

Rising City:

  • Aiden Zimmerman, junior, finance

Seward:

  • Matthew Wegman, junior, accounting

Waterloo:

  • Andreas Katsaounis, sophomore, business administration 

ELSEWHERE:

Pasadena, California:

  • Ava Lee, sophomore, Clifton Builders management

Fortson, Georgia:

  • Callaway Ward, sophomore, Clifton Builders management

Ankeny, Iowa:

  • Brooke O'Connor, junior, Clifton Builders management
  • Carson Reznicek, junior, data science

Bloomington, Minnesota:

  • Jackson Donley, junior, Clifton Builders management

Horace, North Dakota:

  • Kennedy Colter, junior, marketing

Harrisburg, South Dakota:

  • Will Parsons, sophomore, finance

Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

  • Bernardo Lopes, sophomore, economics

Bharatpur, Nepal:

  • Deepesh Bhujel, junior, economics

Every Clifton Builder enrolls in the course Building a Life for Impact, where they gain an advanced understanding of management and consulting for organizations to help improve business outcomes and employee engagement in the workplace. In Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Organizations, taught by Samantha Fairclough, associate professor of practice in management, students gain hands-on experience in marketing creativity, market analysis and entrepreneurship.

“A program highlight for many students, this class culminates in the Builder Marketplace, where students sell products they designed and donate the proceeds to a nonprofit of their choosing,” Ferris said.

Hodges said the Clifton Builders Program cultivates a winning mindset that continues after graduation. Alumni have launched businesses, pursued graduate degrees and joined companies such as J.P. Morgan, Hudl, Gallup, Charles Schwab and Kiewit.

“We create experiences where our students interact with business leaders and each other as they develop their own perspectives and plans for the future,” Hodges said. “Our students gain confidence in who they are and what they can accomplish.”

The program is open to any student in their first two years at the university, with courses beginning the following fall. Applications for the 2026 cohort open later this fall and are due in February.


News Release Contact(s)

Executive Director of Communications, Marketing and External Relations, College of Business
News Coordinator, University Communication and Marketing

High Resolution Photos

Thirty-one students — all members of the 10th cohort of the Clifton Builders Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincon — pose for an outdoor photograph in formal attire on the west side of Howard L. Hawks Hall.
Business