Trailblazers

by SUSAN HOUSTON KLAUS

For Brandee Alexander, the University of Nebraska at Omaha will always be the “University of New Opportunity” – and a place she’ll always call home.

But getting a college degree didn’t seem like an option for the Omaha native and first-generation student, who said she didn’t get good grades when she was in high school.

“When I got the acceptance letter, I was shocked, because I didn’t think it was possible,” Alexander said. “I just didn’t think I was going to go to college.”

Her years at UNO weren’t always easy. As is the case for many students, she worked multiple jobs while juggling her school load, and life was often overwhelming.

Like Alexander, UNO senior and first-generation student Abbi Dominguez wasn’t sure UNO was in the cards for her.

“The financial barrier was huge for me,” she said.

With plans to be a speech pathologist, Dominguez thought she’d enroll at a local community college to get her gen eds or a teaching degree.

The path for the Council Bluffs, Iowa, native took a turn when she heard she was invited to be a Jim and Shirley Young Scholar and would receive a need-based scholarship designed for first-generation students.

Dominguez remembers the moment she heard she’d be attending UNO.

“I was in the kitchen with my mom, and when I found out that I got accepted for that scholarship, me and my mom were just crying,” she said.

“It was so exciting, because I knew then that I was going to be able to go to college for what I originally intended on going for, and then also just knowing that I wouldn’t have the worry or stress of paying for college, because that was also a big concern of mine.”

For Allen Cardenas, who grew up in Papillion, Nebraska, going to college was a logical next step, even though his parents had not. But the financial responsibility of college came into focus for him when he was finishing high school.

“Probably halfway through senior year, you start applying to some of these schools and you see the finances behind it all,” he said.

Like Dominguez, he applied for the Young Scholars program.

“I was so very, very grateful,” to receive the scholarship, “and I forever will be grateful,” he said. “A lot of the success that I’ve had now I will attribute to getting the opportunity within the Young Scholars program. Having a lot of help with schooling and just having that support system really paved the way for me.”

Getting involved on campus was an important part of Cardenas’ college experience. He was a member of freshman leadership council, in student government his sophomore year and part of UNO Dance Marathon and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

“Being in these organizations exposed me to what I could do in life,” he said.

In 2019, Cardenas earned a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management and business management. His career has taken him to Kiewit, MCL Construction and White Cap Construction Supply. At the latter, he’s combining his previous experience in the construction industry with a job in sales.

“I think you can accomplish anything in this world if you believe in yourself, and more than anything if you have a good support system,” he said.

Alexander and Dominguez themselves found support from a network of people.

For Alexander, it was James Freeman and Mona Lisa King-Ward in the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Off campus, her grandparents made sure she had what she needed, including a computer, a car, and a place to live.

Alexander also connected with Project Achieve, a program that helps first-generation students remain in good academic standing, stay in school and ultimately become UNO graduates.

“Project Achieve helped me learn how to study, how to navigate, how to have tough conversations,” she said. “I’m just super grateful.”

Dominguez has navigated hurdles her parents never encountered – like the FAFSA application process, late nights of homework, huge assignments and just making friends on campus. In the beginning, that sometimes was difficult.

But she found a welcoming community through the Young Scholars program and gained the confidence to get involved on and off campus.

Dominguez, who is majoring in communication disorders, volunteers in the Omaha community. She is treasurer of the UNO National Student Speech Language Hearing Association/Collegiate Sertoma, an organization devoted to students majoring in speech-language pathology. Through that opportunity, she’s also involved in mentoring younger students.

Alexander also learned the value of mentorship at UNO. She was a resident tutor adviser with the Summer Scholars Program, for high school juniors and seniors. She served as president of the UNO collegiate chapter of the National Council of Negro Women.

In 2012, Alexander earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a concentration in behavioral health. Today, she’s director of prevention for MOCSA in Kansas City, the largest rape crisis center in the United States. She also earned her master’s degree and is studying for her doctorate.

In honor of those who have supported her journey, Alexander, with her fiancé, has established two scholarships in their grandparents’ names for students majoring in social work and Black studies.

“By supporting first-generation and low-income students, our goal is to help others overcome barriers, just as our grandparents helped us,” she said.

Cardenas said it’s important for him to give a hand to others.

“I’m in the position I am because of the support and opportunities that I had in undergrad,” he said. “Without those, I know I wouldn’t be where I’m at this moment. So that’s definitely something I want to do, whether giving back to UNO – or students in any way, shape or form.”

There’s something extra special about the resiliency and resourcefulness of first-generation students, Dominguez said.

“Often, they don’t really have anyone to answer their questions within their own family, so they have to branch out and use resources on campus or professors that they have –maybe even other students. They’re persevering through the difficulties that come with college and pushing through.”