Thirty miles from Lincoln, Neb., sits the town of Wahoo, Neb.; a rural community posting a population of less than 5,000.
“Wahoo is such a strong community that really strives for improvement, they’re constantly trying to be better, they want to be the best,” says Amanda Most, a junior majoring in Agricultural Education—Leadership option, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). “With that mentality, they’re really able to make a lot of improvements and be a strong, rural community.”
The town may be small in numbers but it’s a community gaining strength. The growth is thanks to a group of UNL students and the Rural Fellows program. Most was one of several students who participated in the program this summer, spending time in Wahoo.
“It was seriously incredible, and I’m so grateful for my experience,” says Most. “I’m from a rural Nebraska community, so I was excited to return to a smaller community for the summer. However, it really allowed me to reconnect and appreciate all that it takes to operate small communities and all the opportunities that exists there.”
Most says she hopes her work this summer was impactful and will help the community be even stronger in the future. Most and others helped remind Wahoo what makes it so appealing, finding stories of hope and resilience.
“We had lots of different project opportunities, but some of our main areas of focus were civic engagement,” she says. “We met with the business leaders and community residents, figuring out what it is they do well, and what can Wahoo improve. We also took a strategic look at their communication methods.”
Most is one of several students who are helping make the Rural Fellows program a success, a program helping empower rural communities all across Nebraska
Rural Fellows
“The Rural Fellows program is an opportunity for students to have a real-life experience, live, work and serve a rural community,” says Helen Fagan, assistant professor of practice at the University of Nebraska, in the Agricultural, Leadership, Education Communication Department.
Hagan serves as the coordinator of the Rural Fellows program. She says it’s a program creating real life experiences that sprouted from an idea in 2013.
“The students and the community leaders go through a series of training, and the objective of the training is to support a diverse team with the knowledge and skills to be able to manage their differences while they’re working together in an emotionally intelligent way, so that they can all experience the process and the impact of inclusion,” says Fagan.
Rural communities interested in the Rural Fellows program come in with an idea, and Fagan helps match the community with students that fit their interests. With a similar vision, Fagan says the Rural Fellows program is helping communities find ways to be vibrant.
“The community is getting to take projects that they’ve wanted to have completed, to move them forward, and sometimes in that process, they’re getting to see their community through the lenses of a younger generation,” says Fagan.
As rural communities get a fresh perspective, the students are finding their passion in life, some even making those communities their forever home.
“I’ve seen students who had no intention of ever living in rural community, move into a rural community move their spouses, their kids and eventually build a life in rural community,” says Fagan.
While the stories and programs in Wahoo this summer centered around hope, it’s the blended vision helping rural communities thrive once again.
