Business students graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln demonstrated their resourcefulness this semester amid transforming learning environments during COVID-19. More than 270 students receiving business degrees now look to lead the future of business as they commence their new careers.
Dr. Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the College of Business, recognized business students for their perseverance during the unusual circumstances of 2020. She praised students for holding to the guiding principles of the college, particularly in the way they challenged themselves during difficult times.
“This once-in-a-lifetime event forced students to commit themselves harder to the rigors of earning their business degrees,” Farrell said. “One of the primary components of an impactful education at the College of Business includes experiential learning. It took ingenuity on behalf of faculty and creativity by students to generate real value in their experiential projects. Whether it was holding an international business case competition on Zoom or learning the grant funding process via remote site visits to local nonprofits, our students met the challenge and proved they can make a difference whether working online or in-person.”
This semester’s commencement ceremony features College of Business alumnus Warren Buffett, ’51. As the leader of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett often welcomed Nebraska Business students through the years to discuss his business philosophies. To this day he remains an optimist despite the pandemic.
“They (students) feel they’re going out into an uncertain world and all of that, but there’s never been a better time,” said Buffett. “Students I’ve seen from Lincoln are outstanding. It makes me encouraged about the world. It makes me very bullish on the world.”
Buffett, who surprised many people with his decision to attend college in his home state, remains convinced of the underlying meaning of the song, “There Is No Place Like Nebraska.”
“I don’t think people could quite believe it when after two years at Wharton Business School at Pennsylvania, I said, ‘I want to transfer to Nebraska.’ I enjoyed every minute at Nebraska. I had terrific professors (at Nebraska). They not only imparted knowledge, but also the rapport and feeling I had with them. I would say to this year’s class, ‘I would love to trade places with any of of them.’”
Buffett, who coined the phrase, “Accounting is the language of business,” always emphasized the importance of understanding foundational principles taught at the School of Accountancy. Mayte Dingman, a graduating senior from Phoenix, receives her accounting degree this weekend. Her words echoed Buffett in embracing faculty at the college.
“I had a great experience with the faculty and enjoyed getting to know them. They are very welcoming and I got to know more about their lives outside of grading papers. I am so fortunate to have been able to finish my school at Nebraska. I can’t imagine experiencing this anywhere else,” Dingman said.
The commencement ceremony begins streaming at 9 a.m. Dec. 19. For more information about the “Go Big Grad” event and to watch the virtual celebration, visit: https://commencement.unl.edu.
Read More Nebraska Business Graduation Stories
Atayi to Graduate Prepped for Success
Nguyen Graduates with Legacy of Helping Advance Allied Community at Nebraska
Valladares Caps off College Career with Home in Mind
Dingman Prepares for CPA Test After Graduation
Master of Business Administration
Timothy Paul Adams, Saginaw, MN—Business
Larry Lee Anderson, Jr., Lincoln—Business
Timothy Gary Becker, Lancaster, PA—Business
Hannah Jiaoping Berry, West Lafayette, IN—Business
Craig Biesterfeld, Chandler, AZ—Business
Cobus L. Block, Lincoln—Business
Cole Robinson Booth, Holdrege—Business
Ian Thomas Boren, Lincoln—Business
Efren Alonso Bustamante, Arvada, CO—Business
John Matthew Clare, Lincoln—Business
Stephanie Marie Duennerman, Lincoln—Business
Emily Alison Edge Biersdorf, Los Angeles, CA—Business
Amy Jean Erickson, Davenport, FL—Business
Paola Espinoza Martinez, Kihei, HI—Business
Ryan Martin Finn, Chestertown, NY—Business
Zane Burton Gaudern, Fort Walton Beach, FL—Business
Thomas Gerhold, Saint Louis, MO—Business
William Eugene Haub, Bay Minette, AL—Business
Kristian Hernandez, Fayetteville, GA—Business
Earl Thomas Hughes, Lincoln—Business
Lucie Beth Johannes, Houston, TX—Business
Sathish Kadiresan, Carmel, IN—Business
Daniel La Nuez, Milwaukee, WI—Business
Tymber W. Long, Lincoln—Business
Mary McDonald, Utica, OH—Business
Vimal Mehta, Olathe, KS—Business
Erica Marie Nett, Lincoln—Business
Brandon Lee Page, Lenexa, KS—Business
Benjamin P. Pearson, Omaha—Business
Scott Christopher Pettit, Fairfax, VA—Business
Thu Minh Pham, Denver, CO—Business
Michael Oliver Pierce, Gibbon—Business
Justin Thomas Plucknett, Louisville—Business
William Franklin Raimer, Grand Junction, CO—Business
Jonathan Ram, Dallas, TX—Business
Daniel Reynolds, Dubach, LA—Business
Anne Elizabeth Rimmington, Omaha—Business
Sujit Ramesh Shringarpure, Calgary, Canada—Business
Brett Smith, North Wales, PA—Business
Justin Stang, Medina, MN—Business
Spencer Andrew Tibbitts, Conroe, TX—Business
Jia Wei, Grand Island—Business
Wade Michael White, Spirit Lake, IA—Business
Jiayuan Xu, Beijing, China—Business
Master of Professional Accountancy
Madison Elizabeth Clements, Country Club, MO—Accountancy
Maluba Mudundulu, Lincoln—Accountancy
Enea Pashaj, Lincoln—Accountancy
Tyler Rump, Plattsmouth—Accountancy
Jialing Xie, Omaha—Accountancy
Master of Science in Business Analytics
Donald Bunner, Dallas, TX—Business Analytics
Stephanie Marie Duennerman, Lincoln—Business Analytics
Todd Lanham, Ravenna—Business Analytics
Jonathan Morgan—Business Analytics
Alan Segel—Business Analytics
Angelique Sleder, Omaha—Business Analytics
Matthew Waite, Lincoln—Business Analytics
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Holden Grant Adams, Firth
(With Distinction)
(University Honors Program)
Jennifer Anne Adams, Omaha
(With High Distinction)
Zachary Willis Ahrens, Oakland
Zuhair Al Lawati, Muscat, Oman
Daniel John Albin, Lincoln
Sarah Elizabeth Alexander, Omaha
Abdulrahman Saleh Alghamdi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Khalid Hilal Alqalhati, Lincoln
Christian Alexander Andersen, Lincoln
Ashley Marie Anderson, Lincoln
Tyler Jerold Anderson, Lincoln
(With Highest Distinction)
Kamran Araghi, Scottsdale, AZ
Cody Asche, Lincoln
Basher Ahmad Atayi, Lincoln
Blake Tearle Athay, Lincoln
Amjad Khamis Muhanna Awlad Thani, Aljabal Alakhdar, Oman
(With Distinction)
Broc Brian Bando, Lincoln
Madison Rose Bartlett, Grand Island
Alberto Moises Batres, Lincoln
Makenzie Beard, Lincoln
Alexis Christine Behrens, Davenport, IA
(Chancellor's Scholar)
(With Highest Distinction)
Noah Michael Roger Bell, Sioux Falls, SD
Taylor Lee Berner, Dalton
Luc Dwight Bloomquist, McLean
Jacob Michael Bray, Carrollton, TX
Makayla Marie Brenden, Lincoln
(With Distinction)
Christopher Brown, Lincoln
Isaiah Nathan Brown, Waverly
Ryan Thomas Burbach, Lincoln
Nicholas Burke, Omaha
Yijun Cai, Xiamen, China
Dominic Rohan Campbell, Omaha
Wan Yu Chan, Lincoln
Yen Feng Chan, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Yan Jie Chang, New Taipei City, Taiwan, Province of China
Catherine Constance Chapman, Waukesha, WI
Hwanhee Choi, Lincoln
(With Distinction)
Maddie Jo Ciolkosz, Maplewood, MN
Paxton P. Harry Collingsworth, Lincoln
Jett Michael County, Lincoln
Riley Michael Coy, Norfolk
Samantha Ann Crandall, Thornton, CO
Connor Paul Crow, Little Rock, AR
(With High Distinction)
(University Honors Program)
Garret Campbell Crusey, Libertyville, IL
Dalia Cruz, Villa Park, IL
Mason Alexander Cully, Omaha
Karli Marie DeBoom, Hastings, MN
Brady James Dickson, Lincoln
Andrew Thomas DiGiacomo, Papillion
Mayte Briggite Dingman, Greenwood
Anh H. Do, Omaha
Alexander Thomas Dolezal, Columbus
Nicholas Ronald Dolezal, Columbus
Paul Willis Dougherty, Omaha
Hunter Reed Dowse, Lincoln
Anna Marya Dudziak, Omaha
Dillon David Dugan, Elkhorn
Connor Michael Ebeling, Elkhorn
Tyler Atkins Eggert, Atkins, IA
Austin Edward Essman, Lincoln
Jessica Ann Fairbanks, South Hutchinson, KS
Megan Elizabeth Flor, Elkhorn
Katherine Nichole Fox, Lakeville, MN
(With Distinction)
Daniel Joseph Franck, Sugar Grove, IL
Samantha Elena Franco, Omaha
(With Highest Distinction)
Rowan Marie Franks, Omaha
Ethan Charles French, Sioux Falls, SD
Marcus John Fritton, Lexington
Ashley Jordan Gaines, Lincoln
Osmar Saul Garcia-Leyva, Lincoln
Carla Gonzalez Garcia, Socorro, NM
Kayle Sommer Greenberg, Lincoln
(With Distinction)
Christian Emanuel Guinac, Lincoln
John Bruce Guiton II, Woodbury, MN
Zhitong Guo, Shanghai, China
Hannah Marie Gutz, Osmond
SeongJi Ha, Pohang, Republic of Korea
Brooke Kennedy Hagel, Stilwell, KS
(With Distinction)
Hunter Hamilton, Fremont
Mingxiu Han, Zaozhuang, China
(With Distinction)
Pengyun He, Wuxi, China
Lauren Elisabeth Heafey, Channahon, IL
Zachary Helms, Omaha
John Peterson Herges, Lincoln
Aaron Christopher Hilgemann, Omaha
Noah DeVere Hoefer, Bellevue
Austin John Hofeling, Lincoln
Brooke Ryann Homeyer, Lincoln
Alexis Camille Hruby, Lincoln
(With Highest Distinction)
Trevor Richard Hulit, Lincoln
Braxton John Hunsley, Papillion
Tyler Ray Hurst, Lincoln
Francesco Giuseppe Insingo, Floral Park, NY
Calvin George Bresnahan Jenkins, Eden Prairie, MN
Dingyang Jin, Lincoln
Alyssa Michelle Joseph, Greeley, CO
(With High Distinction)
Hailey Nicole Judkins, Omaha
(With Distinction)
Cameron Timothy Kaiser, Omaha
Zifan Kang, Shihezi, China
Emma Kathryn Karr, Fremont
Sean Michael Kathol, Lincoln
Samantha Rose Kaus, Fargo, ND
(With Highest Distinction)
Andrew Joseph Kelly, Omaha
Jacob Duane Keyes, Omaha
Tori Ryba Kimminau, Lincoln
Kyle Patrick Kinney, Lincoln
Diamond Koh, Lincoln
Race Parker Kohel, Lincoln
Bryce Alan Kowalewski, Gothenburg
Kara Leigh Kugler-Wright, Lincoln
Gregory Neal Larsen, Lincoln
Kathryn Louise Lawton, Dixon, IL
Kwon Hong Lee, Lincoln
Rebekah Marie Lee, Le Mars, IA
Abigail Kay-Marie Leyden, Winner, SD
Sihui Li, Beijing, China
Tanchan Li, Zhuhai, China
Fangming Lin, Fuzhou, China
Aoge Liu, Lincoln
Yueqi Liu, Beijing, China
Zhuyan Liu, Taiyuan City, China
John Ryan Louis, Prior Lake, MN
Addisen Ann Loveless, Wichita, KS
Thomas Edward Lowe, Lincoln
Kinzie Jo Lukasiewicz, St. Paul
Lindsay Josephine Luth, Grand Island
Ruiqi Ma, Jiangbei, Chongqing, China
(With Highest Distinction)
Makinsey Taylor Manning, Lincoln
Walter Maximillian Mantler, Omaha
Nathan James Mares, Lincoln
Madeline Louise McDougal, Omaha
Willians Enrique Mendoza, Lexington
Riley James Milhon, Lincoln
Brock Robert Milius, Plattsmouth
Jonathan Jorge Miller, Minden
Noah Macklin Miller, Elkhorn
Jacob Maxwell Moe, Burnsville, MN
Kade Jared Moural, Aurora
(With Highest Distinction)
Dominic James Naughtin, Sutherland
Trey Edward Neil, Elkhorn
Clairese Ann Nelson, Holdrege
Yamilet Naomi Nevarez-Alarcon, Schuyler
Bao Duc Nguyen, Lincoln
Khanh Tran Kim Nguyen, Lincoln
Tam T. Nguyen, Lincoln
Isaac William Nordin, Lincoln
Laura Alicia Ortiz, Omaha
Anthony Richard Otto, Phillips
Adrianna Kimberly Parks, Omaha
Deep Patel, Francistown, Botswana
Kyle James Peirce, Lincoln
Jason Carl Petersen, Lincoln
Sean Emory Peterson, Plano, TX
Vincent Phan, Lincoln
Barret Mason Pickering, Hoover, AL
David Petrovich Pustovit, Lincoln
Xueyao Qi, Shenyang, China
(With Highest Distinction)
Anthony Kenneth Quandt, Aurora
(With High Distinction)
(University Honors Program)
Alberto Quesada, Goicoechea, Costa Rica
(With Distinction)
Victoria Elizabeth Quinn, Elkhorn
Timothy Frank Rakestraw, Blair
Sureshram Mathurayar Ramayiah, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Jordan Nicole Rehagen, Olathe, KS
Ethan Austin Reid, Lincoln
Alexander Gordon Reilly, Omaha
(With Distinction)
Brenden James Reilly, Grand Island
Matthew Connor Relihan, Lincoln
(With High Distinction)
Dylan Bruce Roberts, Gretna
Kelby Layne Roberts, Central City
Chad Emory Rohan, Lincoln
(With Distinction)
Joseph Michael Rozmiarek, Lincoln
Xiaoman Ruan, Chengdu, China
Rammuhamed Sabyrkulov, Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan
Adrian Alejandro Sacasa Reyes, Lincoln
Daulten Kevin Sadd, Hastings
(With High Distinction)
Jared Christopher Sasse, Lincoln
Jackson Ignacio Schiefelbein, Topeka, KS
Eric Scott Schiermeyer, Nelson
(With Distinction)
Henry David Schmidt, Lincoln
Nicholas Eugene Schnelker, Bellevue
Blake Hunter Schroeder, Columbus
JaeHong Seo, Lincoln
Morgan Jacqueline Shandera, Lincoln
Zachary Michael Sheehy, Plano, TX
Yijun Shen, Shenzhen, China
Siok Ann Siek, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Mason Coltan Smalley, Omaha
(University Honors Program)
(Nebraska Business Honors Academy
Benjamin William Spargo, Columbia, IL
(With High Distinction)
Joshua Robert Stahr, Omaha
Brooke Kristine Stenger, Omaha
Michael David Stolz, Omaha
Zeshang Tang, Guangzhou, China
(With Distinction)
Matthew Lawrence Tenopir, Wilber
Leo David Thibeault, Middletown, RI
Rachel Lauren Thompson, Lincoln
Mai Thi Ngoc Tran, Lincoln
Ansel Alan Uerling, Hastings
(With Distinction)
Timo Pepijn Uiterwaal, Lincoln
Cindy Paola Valladares, Lincoln
Christian Michael Van Dusen, Lincoln
Troy Robert Vanderheiden, Central City
Gabriel Vegas Valente, Santos, Brazil
(With High Distinction)
Kelby Kay Vieth, Grand Island
Garrett Vizcarra, Fort Pierre, SD
(With Distinction)
Feng Ying Wang, North Platte
Andrew Jacob Wegner, Kearney
(With Distinction)
Olivia Kay Wells, Lincoln
Jing Weng, Lincoln
(With Distinction)
Allison Nicole Westra, Elkhorn
Christopher Randolph Wheeler, Lincoln
Gavin Thomas Wheeler, Pleasant Hill, MO
Andretti Joseph White, Omaha
Spencer Hayes White, Chapel Hill, NC
(With High Distinction)
Grace Katherine Whitmer, Lincoln
Ross James Wiebenga, Dell Rapids, SD
Jared Parker Williams, Lincoln
Austin Eric Wood, Papillion
Emily Woodrome, Belleville, IL
Clay Andrew Woolsey, Gibbon
Xiaofeng Xue, Lincoln
Tessa Marie Masako Yonekura, Lincoln
Linhao Zhang, Huizhou City, China
Yangzhi Zhang, Chengdu, China
Youyin Zhang, Chande, China
Yuwei Zhang, Haikou, China
Xueqing Zhao, Shenyang, China
Liming Zheng, Shenzhen, China
Jiahui Zhu, Beijing, China
