Graduates found community, opportunity at Nebraska U

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln conferred 1,197 degrees during commencement exercises Dec. 19 and 20 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Full list of graduates | Program

The degrees were earned by 1,175 graduates from 44 countries, 39 U.S. states and 140-plus Nebraska communities.

“This morning, we are here to celebrate the remarkable achievements, perseverance and dedication that has brought the graduating class of 2025 to this significant milestone in their lives,” Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett said during the undergraduate ceremony Dec. 20. “As students, you have made your mark on our university community and extended the legacy of alumni who have earned their degrees here.”

Finding purpose and community

Among the graduates Dec. 20 was Tyus Wilson of Sterling, Kansas, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and Human Sciences with high distinction.

The decorated Husker track and field athlete now has his sights set on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

After ending his collegiate career with a Big Ten championship and gold medal in the 2025 NCAA Indoor high jump, Wilson won gold at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas in August, securing a spot on Team USA.

And then he had to complete his final assignment before graduation — student teaching fifth graders.

“The first few days are just lots of comments and questions — ‘How are you so tall?” the 6’8” elementary education major said.

Wilson’s parents are both educators and athletes themselves, and several of his five siblings work in education in some way, even though they started college thinking they’d do something else.

“I started in elementary education because I did some coaching and things in high school and enjoyed it, but I wondered if I’d find something else,” he said. “When I started doing practicums in the classrooms, it was apparent that I wanted to keep doing it. I really liked being around the kids and helping them learn.

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“Every single classroom that I’ve been in has been so different in its own little way. I love being around these kids and seeing those light bulb moments. Even on the bad days, you’ll look back and see their success, and that is why you do it.”

Wilson faced challenges during his freshman year of college when he developed a stress injury in his shin and his father was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer. The double whammy shook him. He internalized the stress, often isolating himself. He leaned on his Christian faith and started unpacking his “why.”

“What’s my purpose in life? Where do I find my hope and my joy?” he said. “If all my joy and all my hope for the future is coming from how high I’m going to jump over a stick — that’s just not going to be fulfilling. In isolation, by myself, was a good time for me to kind of reflect on my purpose.”

Despite his tendency to withdraw, his teammates, coaches and the friends he met in Fellowship of Christian Athletes lifted him out of the rut. He realized he had found a community in Lincoln and that he would come out of the experience a better person.

Now a Team USA athlete, Wilson is still training on campus. Following graduation, he will continue training 20-25 hours a week while substitute teaching when he can.

He and his wife, McKenna, a former Husker cross country athlete who graduated in May, will stay in Omaha while she finishes her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Creighton University. They hope to keep their home base in Nebraska while traveling to Wilson’s meets — and hopefully to L.A. — for as long as they can.

“As long as it still makes sense to keep going, I will,” he said. “But it’s never promised. James 4 says to not boast about the future. You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow.” Read more.

Also graduating Dec. 20 was Abby Cantrell of Malcolm, Nebraska, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management with highest distinction. She is also a Chancellor’s Scholar, having maintained a 4.0 grade-point average on all collegiate work at Nebraska and elsewhere.

Cantrell has gained hands-on experience in her degree program, planning local events and working at major international events such as the Masters Tournament. She said the program has prepared her to collaborate with people from around the world.

“Having connections with other people is important to me, and this industry lets you do that on all sorts of levels,” she said. “You have to anticipate needs and get to know people.”

Cantrell said she chose Nebraska because of its dedicated hospitality program.

“I knew what I wanted to do, so having that specific direction and being able to gain industry-specific skills was really important to me,” she said. “Having something more specific, where I could get those internships in hospitality jobs, was really important.”

Cantrell was selected to work at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, three times and said the experience was demanding but rewarding.

“In the moment, I’m feeling exhausted, but every year when I reflect on it, it was truly the highlight of my year,” she said. “I gained an understanding of how hospitality works in those high-class, once-in-a-lifetime experiences like that.”

Cantrell interacted with people from around the world while serving in a corporate cabin at the Masters, and she was able to make lots of connections and learn from her supervisor, who owns an event business.

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“Being able to pick her brain was another really amazing thing I took away from that,” she said. “You need to know the skills, but to get a lot of these jobs, you need to know the people in the industry. Being able to get to know them on a personal level can give you a lot of insight.”

Cantrell said the hands-on experience that students gain at Nebraska helps prepare them for all kinds of work, from front-of-house jobs to managerial positions. Even in regular classwork, Cantrell had opportunities to plan large-scale events like she would be expected to as a professional — such as a First Friday event in Lincoln that she planned from idea to execution.

After graduation, Cantrell hopes to work for a company that plans corporate events. She also plans to pursue a strategic marketing certificate from Nebraska’s College of Business to add to her hospitality toolbox.

“The (HRTM) program is really all-encompassing, so you get to practice parts of all different fields within hospitality — events, food and beverage, hotels, tourism,” she said. “So being able to take those classes has given me a more well-rounded perspective. … The faculty know you personally, and you can get to know your peers. You feel comfortable in every class to try new things.” Read more.

Also graduating in December:

• Jackson Harvey, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, who will start his career as an accountant and internal auditor at Kiewit.
• Emily Krupicka, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, who recently met her birth family in South Korea during an internship program abroad.
• Omeed Ilyas, Bachelor of Science, who interned at Sandhills Global and will begin a full-time data science position there.
• Junzhi Wang, Doctor of Philosophy, who completed his doctoral research at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, and will begin work as a research associate there.

The December graduating class earned five new Juris Doctor degrees, 357 other new graduate and professional degrees and 835 new baccalaureate degrees. The university has awarded 328,767 degrees since it was founded in 1869.