Nebraska College of Business Honors Academy

Seniors in the Nebraska College of Business Honors Academy's Business Policies and Strategies management course helped tackle real business challenges for Cornhusker Bank as part of their capstone experience. They worked in teams to deliver strategic recommendations to the bank’s executive leaders in projects from fraud prevention to income diversification.

Welcome to the 44 first-year students representing nine states who will join the newest cohort of the Nebraska College of Business Honors Academy this fall. They will complete many of their core and foundation business classes together using an action-based learning approach that builds critical thinking, technical and communication skills.

"These exceptional students represent the future of business. They will sharpen their skills and grow into the kind of leaders our world needs: curious, collaborative and ready to make a difference,” said Dean Kathy Farrell.

Introducing Cade Swanson!
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Major: Actuarial Science
Favorite Academy Class: Macroeconomics with Dr. Allgood
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Spend time outdoors and play sports
Future Plans: Work as a full-time actuary at Allstate

Introducing Makenna Henning!
Hometown: Kearney, NE
Major: Management & Supply Chain Management
Favorite Academy Class: BLAW 372H
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Go on coffee runs and walks with my friends!
Future Plans: Working as a District Sales Consultant for Cash-Wa Distributing!

Introducing Daniel Koland!
Hometown: Woodbury, MN
Major: Economics
Minors: Finance, Marketing
Favorite Academy Class: Economics with Dr. Allgood
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Work at Lincoln Stars games and attend Husker Football games!
Future Plans: Return home to the Twin Cities and pursue a job in the finance world while pursuing sports media on the side.

Introducing Ike McLey!
Hometown: Kansas City
Major: Finance
Favorite Academy Class: Finance 361H with Professor Baugh
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Husker Football Tailgates
Future Plans: Valuation Analyst at Acclaro Valuation in Omaha

Introducing Tram Ngo!
Hometown: Crete, NE
Majors: Marketing and Management
Favorite Academy Class: Marketing with Dr. Saini
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Exploring coffee shops, walking at Holmes Lake, and having picnics at Pioneers Park
Future Plans: I will be pursuing my marketing career at Olsson here in Lincoln!

Introducing Braden Starck!
Hometown: Glen Carbon, Illinois
Major: Finance and Clifton Builder Management
Minor: Economics
Favorite Academy Class: MNGT 301H
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Definitely Husker football games
Future Plans: Corporate Analyst at Fiserv in Omaha

First-year Academy students take Accounting 201H as a cohort to discover fundamentals of accounting, reporting, and analysis to understand business concepts and practices.

Professor Gonzales shared, "I love getting to introduce students to the language of business! The cohort brings amazing insights to class discussions based on their prior experiences and asks the best questions that allow us to dig deeper into topics. I really enjoy the active, problem-solving, student-led nature of the course and students’ commitment to success."

Introducing Sophie Thomas!
Hometown: Lakeville, MN
Major: Marketing and Management
Minor: Business Law
Favorite Academy Class: MNGT with Dr. Wesley…duh!!!
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Saturdays in the Fall when I can go to the Farmer’s Market and Football Games with my friends!!

Introducing Tyler Vander Woude!
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Major: Marketing & Managment
Favorite Academy Class: Dr. Beck's Management
Favorite Thing to do in Lincoln: Disc golf, Play sports, Take walks, and Enjoying the outdoors
Future Plans: I will be pursuing a Master’s in Analytics from Georgia Tech while working at High Society Cheesecake to launch nationwide shipping for their Scoopable Cheesecake subscription.