KEARNEY – Keesha Albrecht and Jessica Buss were awarded top honors at the April 6 UNK Talks event highlighting civic engagement projects.
Albrecht, a junior from Brewster, was lead presenter of “One Book, One Campus: Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography for Today’s Society.” A sophomore from Gretna, Buss teamed with Albrecht on the project, which won them $500 in prize money.
Their idea is to create an all-campus reading of Franklin’s autobiography and campus-wide event celebrating the teachings of Franklin.
Organized by University of Nebraska at Kearney’s American Democracy Project, UNK Talks are inspired by TED Talks, the popular series of influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity.
Nine students presented five projects between eight and 12 minutes in length for a panel of judges. Each participant received $200.
Others presenting, listed by hometown, included:
Brewster – Lead presenter Keesha Albrecht and Jessica Buss of Gretna, “One Book, One Campus: Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography for Today’s Society.”
Central City – Micah Carlson, “Improving Cultural Literacy: The Lessons to be Learned in Winthrop’s Idea of Charity.”
Gothenburg – Lead presenter Kato Craig and Erin Green of Lexington, “Community Engagement and a Healthy Environment.”
Holdrege – Lead presenter Lindsay Warning, Melissa Sellers of Aurora and Brooke Frederick of Kearney, “Connecting Beyond the Classroom- NATA Spring Forum.”
Lincoln – Mackenzie Marrow, “Inform Public about Depression.”