As Student Body President at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, I also served as a Student Representative on the Board of Regents. In the year I sat on the Board of Regents, I was inspired by how higher education can change a person's life.  I saw first hand how a really good professor, an internship, or a diploma could alter the trajectory of a person’s life.  Even better, this happened to thousands of students every year across our four universities.  While in law school, I saw how powerful higher education was and knew that I wanted to be instrumental in making this opportunity accessible to even more Nebraskans.

After graduating from law school, I chose to move back to Nebraska. In my mind, there was no other place that would ever feel like home. After finding out that Regent Bob Whitehouse was not running for District Four's Regent Seat in 2018, I decided to run and was elected as the youngest Regent ever to serve on the Board of Regents.  Regent Barb Weitz and I were also the 4 and 5th women to ever serve as Regents out of 130 regents. 

My last five years on the Board of Regents have been incredibly inspiring, humbling, and invigorating.  We have announced groundbreaking initiatives like: 

• Nebraska Promise - covering tuition for students who have a family income of $65,000 or less.  
• Deferred maintenance projects - leveraged historically low interest rates by participating in a bond sale, which will save Nebraska taxpayers an estimated $1.5 billion over four decades. 
• Healthcare in rural Nebraska - We've also addressed the crisis of a lack of access to healthcare in rural Nebraska with a partnership between UNK and UNMC that will begin to close the healthcare gap in rural communities.

This work is good - and necessary - but our work is not done.  The University is facing reduced state funding, enrollment challenges, and a drain of the state's young talent to other states. We can and will meet these challenges but we need experienced, optimistic, and motivated leadership on the Board of Regents who are not distracted by the hot political issues of the day. 

I'm running because Nebraska students need a quality, affordable education.  Nebraska needs to attract new businesses and industries, positioning it to not only thrive but also retain its young professionals.  The University needs to be an institution that continues to attract top professors not only nationally but globally. Nebraska needs a top-tier medical center not only treating patients and conducting cutting-edge research but also training the next generation of health professionals.  

If I'm re-elected to the Board of Regents from District 4, I will work hard to make this vision a reality.  I will seek to ensure the University is funded fairly, spends prudently, and invests wisely in our future.