By Tyler Dahlgren

The schoolbuses from Grand Island rolled down R Street and parked in front of the main entrance to the Nebraska Union. They kept coming, one after another, unloading hundreds of high school freshmen who were about to get a firsthand look at the state’s flagship university. 

On the Union’s iconic front steps, several UNL student tour guides clad in the school’s signature scarlet-colored t-shirts waited to greet them. It was a sunny Monday morning, a perfect day to explore, and that’s exactly what they did.

As part of its Academy of Freshman Exploration, Grand Island Senior High has sent its freshmen to UNL each spring since 2018. More than 600 students made the trip this year, in two separate cohorts. 

“We really saw the importance of getting kids access to a university,” said counselor Shaun Willey. “Many of these kids wouldn’t have that opportunity otherwise. A lot of them are first generation college-bound students, and we just wanted to get them there to see what the university is all about.”

The students, who arrived at 10am, received the full experience. UNL rolls out the Big Red carpet, you could say. They sit through an informational and interactive welcome session before breaking into groups and venturing off. Along the way, they think about their future.

“That’s the goal,” said Jared Bombeck, principal of the Academy of Freshman Exploration. “We hope it motivates them to picture themselves being there at UNL. Our freshman seminar class brings in colleges throughout the year, too, and it’s all done to help the kids visualize and say, ‘Hey, this is a possible thing.’ We want them to see and to know that they can do it.”

The UNL trip has quickly become a freshman favorite, a budding tradition that the district plans to continue for many years to come. It’s an investment into young Islanders that’s already paid dividends.

“Many of our students don’t necessarily have a purpose or see the relevance of why they come to school every day,” said Willey. “So I believe that by providing the opportunity to be on campus, they can create more of a purpose, more of a relevance to why they’re coming to school every day. The opportunity to show these kids what their reality could be is extremely important.”

And if they’re going to be college kids for a day, they might as well eat like it. The kids get a kick out of feasting in the Harper Dining Hall.

“I had ice cream for lunch,” joked Brigham Loeffler, who’s been to a few Husker football games but had never seen UNL like this. “I was hoping to get more of an inside view at what the University of Nebraska has to offer.”

Loeffler and his classmates received exactly that, hoofing it in groups on in-depth, guided tours that took them to every corner of the sprawling campus. 

“The campus is much bigger than I imagined,” said Ysanne Zumaya, who has dreams of becoming a nurse, doctor, or even a teacher some day. “This is a really good opportunity to get information and it gives us an idea of what life is like for a college student.”

The students are prepped thoroughly in their freshman seminar class ahead of the visit. They have an idea of what to expect and they come with questions in hand.

“Their seminar teachers and counselors do a really good job of going over everything and getting them prepared,” said Bombeck, who noted that fun is kept at the forefront. “Field trips, for the most part, end in elementary school. And this freshman class, they didn’t get their trip to tour the Capitol in fourth grade because of the pandemic, so they were really excited to get out of the building for a day.”

Loeffler, who has aspirations of becoming an attorney one day, said he could definitely see himself at UNL one day. He said it’s not lost on the students the effort their school district pours into providing such a unique opportunity.

“It’s really cool that we get to do this,” he said, taking a short break from his ice cream. “I know there’s a lot of freshmen who really don’t have many interests or ideas of what they might want to do some day, and being here on campus might spark something.”

Like Bombeck said, that’s the goal. 

For the GISH Class of 2028, diplomas and decisions are still three years away. 

From the shade outside of Harper Hall, Zumaya said that day has never felt closer.

“I feel like today could be a big stepping stone for my future.”