Protesters hold up signs in front of the Nebraska State Capitol on Sunday, Aug. 29. 2021, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Peace for Afghans protest welcomes refugees amid international turmoil

The Afghan Student Association at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln led a “Peace for Afghans” protest at the Nebraska State Capitol building on Sunday. Protesters raised concerns for the population left to fend for itself as the Taliban continues to take over Afghanistan. On Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, at 3:29 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time —  11:59 p.m. in Afghanistan — the United States military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, marking an end to the longest armed conflict in the United States’ history.

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A headshot of Cody Hollist.
Brazil-based research empowering vulnerable families, communities amid COVID-19

Efforts to help vulnerable communities are most effective when they actively engage community members, agencies and other stakeholders in solving complex social problems.

In many parts of Brazil, communities must find their own ways to address the needs of children and families with limited resources. Those needs have intensified since early 2020, when COVID-19 quickly spread throughout the country.

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A headshot of Mark Iradukunda.
Student Spotlight: Mark Iradukunda

Say hello to Integrated Science Major Mark Iradukunda from Kigali, Rwanda! Learn about his journey that led him to Nebraska, his post-grad plans and how diversity and inclusive excellence played a role in his Nebraska experience.

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Lorna and Kwame Dawes pose for a picture at Nebraska City Campus.
Mellon grant to transform African poetry research, scholarship

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $750,000 grant to an international team led by Kwame Dawes, professor of English, and Lorna Dawes, associate professor of University Libraries, to expand an online portal for African poetry.

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A headshot of Sherry Shenoda.
Shenoda wins Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets

The winner of the 2021 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets is Sherry Shenoda for her collection, “Mummy Eaters.”

Shenoda will receive a $1000 cash award and publication of her manuscript as part of the African Poetry Book Series by the University of Nebraska Press.

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The three Rural Fellows and local partners pose in front of one of the downtown Chadron murals. Jenny Nixon (left), Chantelle Schulz, Hanna Jemison, Jacy Hafer and Kerri Rempp, tourism director for the Discover Northwest Nebraska.
Rural Fellows spend summer strengthening Panhandle communities

Three college students from different parts of Nebraska are spending the summer in the Chadron area of northwest Nebraska, learning while helping strengthen the community through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Rural Fellows internship program.

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Keisei Tominaga is holding a basketball.
8 Huskers set to compete in Tokyo

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will have eight athletes representing four countries at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The group includes a pair of current Nebraska student-athletes as well as six former Huskers.

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Falah Rashoka stands outside his office on East Campus.
Rashoka helps turn pandemic tide for Yezidi community

Falah Rashoka heard a knock at his door.

Peering through the peephole, Rashoka recognized the man. He’d met him in the Yezidi refugee community — of which Rashoka is a member — but also knew the man had been sent home from work with a fever and was awaiting results of a coronavirus test.

It was May 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, with cases and deaths multiplying each day in Nebraska. Rashoka, then a master’s student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, knew many in the Yezidi community had contracted the virus as essential workers in retail, service or meatpacking jobs. There was a good chance the man standing at his door was ill with COVID-19.

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Jennifer Au looks out over Seoul, South Korea, from her hotel room during a mandatory two-week quarantine.
Husker undergrad seizes opportunity to study abroad

Nebraska’s Jennifer Au is one of the first Husker students to study abroad after a year-plus of pandemic-related travel restrictions and cancellations. On July 1, the secondary math education major packed her bags and headed to Seoul, South Korea, to complete a beginner-level Korean language course while also exploring the historic city.

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A zoom screen of the Global Studies course “Negotiating Peace: From Conflict to Coexistence.” It is one of several new Global Experiences programs funded by the Education Abroad Office and Office of Global Strategies to give students hands-on learning opportunities in a global-local context.F
New Global Experiences programs offer creative alternatives to study abroad

What better way to learn about conflict resolution than first-hand from one of the architects of Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement, former prime minister Bertie Ahern? Or to connect with Yazidi culture by growing a garden with the local community?

In the new summer course “Negotiating Peace: From Conflict to Coexistence” from the Global Studies program, 14 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are exploring conflict resolution case studies from two countries in different stages of the process: Ireland and Syria.

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