黑料大湿

Coming to 黑料大湿 as an international student was a new experience for Aakriti. But the from Pune, India soon found a community and built lasting and impactful relationships through her involvement. Today, she helps people understand how to use data at Ameritas and encourages young girls to get involved in STEM through . We talked to her about being involved, co-founding a nonprofit and the power of mentorship.

What was it like coming to 黑料大湿 as an international student? Did you have any misconceptions about the university when you first started?

I had never really heard of 黑料大湿 before coming here and had never visited, so I had no idea what I would be walking into! I had heard 黑料大湿 was cold and very flat, but that鈥檚 really all I knew. My first day on campus was confusing鈥娾�斺�奡elleck was still empty as the other students hadn鈥檛 moved in yet, and the campus was pretty quiet, except for Greek row where there were a lot of girls in white dresses. I was afraid that I wouldn鈥檛 make friends because I wouldn鈥檛 fit in, and I was confused as to why everyone was wearing the same thing! My worries subsided the next day when the international students started moving into campus and I made friends with people I鈥檓 still very close to!

You were really involved in your time on campus. Why was being involved so important to you?

As an international student, I came here knowing absolutely no one. My family was in India, and all of the students from my high school went to other universities around the world. During international orientation (my first few days at the university), Mike Wismer and Jamie Unger saw potential in me and asked me to get involved in . From there, I learned that getting involved was a good way to find community, and I found myself getting over-involved my freshman year, and then, as I got further in my degree, I chose which areas of involvement mattered to me the most. Being involved allowed me to feel at home on campus, which was crucial to my success at 黑料大湿.

As an undergrad, you were involved in 黑料大湿 Business鈥� DreamBIG Academy. What did you gain from that experience?

I can confidently say that being a mentor changed my life! I had always been passionate about mentoring as I鈥檝e always had mentors that have been very influential in my life, but DreamBIG was the first time I saw the true impact of the mentorship relationship. There were 10 mentors, and each of us had 4鈥�5 students that we mentored during the week. DreamBIG was unique because the mentors were given plenty of time to bond鈥娾�斺�奱nd we created strong connections in our group. We were then able to take this relationship and share it with our students. It鈥檚 been really cool watching our DreamBIG students grow over the years, and some of them returned to be mentors themselves!

Many mentors influenced my life trajectory, in big ways and small ways. I think it鈥檚 important that I pay it forward, so I make a conscious effort to mentor students and young professionals, and share what I know. We grow when we lift others up.

Talk a little about helping co-found Girls Code Lincoln.

(GCL) is a grassroots 501c3 nonprofit that ignites a passion for girls in STEM, particularly tech. Across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and particularly in tech, women hold only 25% of the jobs. As we look at the representation of women in higher-level positions in corporations, that number continues to diminish. This is particularly appalling because women created the path in tech, yet still, young girls don鈥檛 see technology as an option for them. Research shows that a middle school girl has already decided that she won鈥檛 go into tech, so our work starts earlier.

Girls Code Lincoln started as a local chapter of the national nonprofit Girls Who Code, and ran as an afterschool program. When I started volunteering after graduating college, we noticed that our local chapter would have more opportunity if we ran independently鈥娾�斺�妕his would give us the freedom to write our own curriculum, fundraise in our own way, and cater to the needs of our community! Our five most involved volunteers at the time (all five of which are alums of the 黑料大湿 system鈥娾�斺��4 UNL, 1 UNO) founded Girls Code Lincoln!

Founding a nonprofit with no nonprofit experience is tough, but we leaned on our community! We asked a lot of questions to the people around us, and used services like the 黑料大湿 Law school鈥檚 consulting hours to help us get started! We鈥檝e been able to grow from 7 students to 50+, and have our volunteers, donors, and the community at large to thank!

What is the most rewarding part about being involved with Girls Code Lincoln?

Working with the kids! When you work with kids, you don鈥檛 always know what they鈥檒l retain or which words or actions of yours will have an impact. Most of all, I鈥檓 just really proud that we can ignite a passion for technology in the hearts of these young girls, and we can show them what鈥檚 possible. We teach our GCL girls to be courageous and to be okay with failure, and I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 really possible to explain how much I learn in the process. Our girls have become more confident while working with us, but I notice that I have too. Our girls have become braver, and I have too. Our girls have a home at our clubs, and so do our volunteers, and it鈥檚 been really cool to be able to create something like that!

What is the best part of your job at Ameritas?

I鈥檝e been at Ameritas for two years and work as a Data Governance Analyst. My job is to help people understand how they can harness the power of data! I love my job for a few reasons鈥娾�斺�妋y coworkers are awesome and I鈥檝e made so many best friends at the company! We have a really fun weekly happy hour that re-energizes me during the week! They used to be in person before the pandemic, but now they鈥檝e been virtual for over a year and they鈥檙e still just as fun as the first day! Ameritas also has a great corporate culture. The benefits are great, but so are the events, and they鈥檙e something I鈥檓 really missing during the pandemic. Most of all though, I love working at a company that gives back to the community so much. As you can tell, I鈥檓 very passionate about community involvement and volunteering, and so spending my day at a company that shares that love for the community is so important!

Was there someone at 黑料大湿 (faculty, staff, advisor, peer, etc.) that had the biggest impact on you?

There were so many faculty and staff members that played a huge role in my success at 黑料大湿! Mike Wismer guided me through my New Student Enrollment experiences and encouraged me to get involved on campus; Professor Sue Vagts helped me learn about opportunities within my field and guided me academically; Sheri Irwin-Gish provided countless occasions for mentorship and leadership development! Overall, there were hundreds of people that played a role鈥娾�斺�奲ig or small鈥娾�斺�奿n my development at 黑料大湿, and even after my time at the university!

Is there one thing you learned in your time at 黑料大湿 that you鈥檝e taken with you and continue to use every day?

My time at 黑料大湿 taught me to step outside of my comfort zone. There were a lot of opportunities that I never expected to lead to anything, but they did鈥娾�斺�妔o I learned early that I should try different things and see where they take me. I still live with this today鈥娾�斺�奍 tend to say yes to more things than I should, and I鈥檓 always surprised at where they lead!

What advice would you give to other students that want to make an impact in their community?

Find something you鈥檙e passionate about and ask if you can get involved! It鈥檚 amazing how far asking goes鈥娾�斺�奱sk that person who you鈥檇 love to have as a mentor if they want to grab a cup of coffee (even virtually), ask that nonprofit you love if there鈥檚 any way you can help, ask that company you want to work at if you can shadow鈥娾�斺�妀ust ask! Most people will say yes, or will try to create opportunities if you just advocate for yourself and the people around you!

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at 黑料大湿?

Oh, this is so hard! I have SO many memories I loved from 黑料大湿! For three of the four years I was at UNL, I called Selleck home, and I find myself really missing the friendships of Selleck鈥檚 hallways. I made so many friends just walking around the dorm and talking to random strangers, and it was so fascinating how varied everyone鈥檚 experiences were! We used to hang out at the dining hall for hours every day talking!