Family, faith, and friends is what I need to be known by because they have raised me into the individual I am.” - Vickie Ference
Vickie Ference felt homesick in Lincoln and sought a way out. When she shared her feelings with mentor Tom Field, she told him she wished to move her family, pigs, and hometown, Ord, to Lincoln. Tom knew that bringing Ord or her family wasn’t an option, he encouraged her to bring her pigs—and in that moment, Vickie realized she had the “okay” to be an entrepreneur.
“There’s so many other things you can’t control, but you can control your routine, what you’re doing, and what your plan is every day.” - John Cook
At this year’s Sunny Side Up breakfast event, our community had the privilege of hearing from Husker Volleyball Coach John Cook as he shared insights on giving back, being a great teammate, and embracing servant leadership.
Big Gumdrop Outdoors is a non-profit born out of Elijah Riley’s personal passion for bridging urban youth with nature. Through partnerships with local after-school programs, summer camps, and community centers, Big Gumdrop Outdoors brings adventures, environmental lessons, and career insights directly to urban youth.
Alyssa Walsh shared her entrepreneurial journey, from overcoming challenges in earning her clients’ trust and demonstrating the value of her work, to embracing her own path and achieving the success she has today.
We had the opportunity to hear from one of our amazing staff members, Halle Ramsey. Halle recounted her journey of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro this past summer. What started with a conversation and a handshake during a 101 class with a mentor, Matt Tredway, turned into an unforgettable journey that taught her many lessons that apply to entrepreneurship.
Seth Wright’s entrepreneurial journey began with one idea: instead of purchasing a cornhole board, he decided he wanted to build one. Though he has yet to make a set of cornhole boards, this moment ignited a spark of creativity that formed a deep passion for woodworking, leading to the creation of his own business, Scrappy Woodworks.
At our first Ascential 40 of the semester, we had the opportunity to hear from Todd Drake, Grant Rathje, and Tiana McKee from the company, Balance4ward. They are a cattle-feeding management company working to create opportunities for mid-market cattlemen who want to get more out of their businesses and allow producers to get more profit out of a steak.