Nebraska Students Join Rural Projects

By Scout Nelson

The Rural Fellows program has relaunched in Nebraska, providing students with an opportunity to learn while supporting local communities. Eight students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are participating in this year’s program. They are spending part of their summer living and working in Curtis, Hastings, York, and Knox County. The internships will continue for seven weeks and end on July 17.

The students were chosen through an application and interview process. They were matched with communities based on their interests and skills. Before beginning their work, the group attended a training academy on June 1 and 2. After that, they moved to their assigned communities on June 3.

One of the participants, Timothy “Ben” Bentzinger, is working in York’s City Planning Department alongside Sue Crawford. As a master’s student in community and regional planning, he is excited to apply what he has learned in the classroom to real-life work.

“York just took on a new comprehensive plan and is introducing a bike path through town, so I plan to work with them on those things, and what Sue does directly relates to my master’s studies,” Bentzinger said.

The program is part of Rural Prosperity Nebraska and has returned after a two-year pause. It is led by Mary Emery, a professor in agricultural leadership, education, and communication. Organizers have focused on carefully matching students with communities to ensure mutual benefit.

“As we’re restarting the program, we approached the communities with the students’ talents in mind,” Bagley said. “I think this cohort of Rural Fellows is going to be a great experience for both the students and their host communities, because it’s benefiting both — students meeting professional goals and community members getting the talent they need to complete these projects.”

The fellows and their placements include Timothy “Ben” Bentzinger in York with York City Planning Department, Alexa Carter and Sarah Lange in York with York County Community Coalition, Swade Lamb in Hastings with United Way of South Central Nebraska focusing on affordable housing, Hagar Ghanem in Hastings with focus on early childhood education centers, Graysan Guss inHastings with enCourage Advocacy Center and Prairie Loft Center for Outdoor and Agricultural Learning, Brandon Jurgens in Knox County working on emergency management, and Sam Durre in Curtis focusing on wildfire and burn prevention.

Photo Credit: nebraska-extension