By TYLER ELLYSON
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Katie Cornelio calls the University of Nebraska at Kearney “the most magical place on Earth.”
Disney World is second, she says, “but UNK is No. 1 for sure.”
“This school is everything to me. There’s no way to put into words what UNK has done for me as a person. It’s challenging. It pushes you to be your best. But also you literally have people with you every step of the way to guide you and cheer you on.”
Cornelio graduates summa cum laude on Friday with a bachelor’s degree in social science education. She was also selected to speak during spring commencement, an honor she’s “super grateful” for.
Like many members of the Class of 2024, Cornelio didn’t have a traditional high school graduation ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For the majority of us, this will be our first graduation when we get to walk across the stage and receive a diploma,” she said. “So, I think it’s a really cool and special opportunity that I also get to speak at it.”
She plans to share a “love letter to UNK.”
A SECOND HOME
A native of Monument, Colorado, Cornelio visited campus for the first time as a junior in high school. She was mainly interested in the opportunity to compete on the swim and dive team.
“I’ll never forget, we were right by the welcome desk, and the coach looked at me and said, ‘We’ll take care of you here,’” Cornelio recalled. “During that visit, something just kind of clicked, and I actually verbally committed on my way home. It was my only college visit. It was really the only college I looked at.
“Truthfully, UNK has kind of always been the one and only place for me, and I still feel that way. I love it.”
Cornelio describes her time as a Loper as “transformative in the best way possible.”
“UNK has made me the woman I am today, through the professors, through every single club and activity I’ve been in. They have given more to me than I could have ever asked for or could ever thank them for,” she said. “That’s just kind of what UNK does. It gets people out of their shells and pushes them to become the people they want to be, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
As an athlete, Cornelio was a three-year letterwinner and team co-captain who ranks inside the program’s all-time top 10 in four different individual swimming events.
She was equally impressive in the classroom.
“Katie is one of the most self-reflective students I have encountered. She is focused, determined, energetic, hardworking and collaborative – a powerful blend of scholarly and working-world perspectives that makes her leadership empathetic and true,” said UNK history professor David Vail. “Her ability to balance coursework, scholarly interests and campus and community outreach while pursuing a history education degree is an incredible example for our current student community and those to come.”
Following in the footsteps of her mother, a college and career counselor at Pine Creek High School, Cornelio chose a career in education because she wanted to make a difference.
“Teaching has become a way for me to not only connect with kids, but also talk about history, which I love a lot,” she said. “It’s a way to build relationships while also connecting students with what’s going on in the world.”
Cornelio was part of the Teacher Scholars Academy, a program that provides professional development opportunities, academic support and financial assistance for future teachers. Students accepted into the program receive a full-tuition scholarship, plus $8,000 annually for expenses such as housing, books and food.
She also participated in undergraduate research, documenting the lives of Kearney residents during the Great Depression, and volunteered as a mentor for UNK freshmen, local elementary and middle school students and Kearney High School seniors who are interested in teaching careers.
“Katie is one of the most caring students that I’ve had the honor to teach at UNK,” Vail said. “Her record as a history-social science education student is exceptional, but her kindness for others and love of communicating knowledge to others makes her an amazing teacher. She has flourished in our history-social science education degree and embodies the servant leader in nearly every aspect of her campus and personal life.”
Cornelio completed her student teaching this semester at Kearney High School, where she taught world history, criminal justice and sociology classes. She credits Vail and other UNK faculty members for creating a collaborative learning experience and showing her “what it’s like to be a great teacher.”
“I want to be the teacher that when someone asks a student of mine, what do you remember from her class, I really hope they don’t say anything about history or social sciences. I really hope they say something about the way I made them feel in the classroom,” Cornelio said. “I want my students to feel like the classroom is a second home for them. That’s my main goal.”
ANOTHER SHADE OF BLUE
Cornelio’s impact at UNK extended well beyond Copeland Hall and the College of Education.
She also worked as a campus visit assistant and was involved in the Chancellor’s Ambassadors program, Gamma Phi Beta sorority and Kappa Delta Pi and Order of Omega honor societies. Additionally, she represented Louie’s Legion, a student organization dedicated to showcasing the Loper experience, as a homecoming royalty finalist in 2023 and participated in a study abroad program in Greece last summer.
Cornelio’s parents, Stephanie and John, and other family members will be in attendance Friday when she delivers her commencement address and receives her degree, but her golden retriever Wilson will have to watch the livestream.
“Unfortunately, commencement speaker does not come with dog perks,” Cornelio said with a smile. “He’ll be in the hotel wearing a UNK bandana.”
That bandana may change to a similar shade of blue this summer when Cornelio begins a Master of Arts in Teaching program at Duke University, where she received a full-ride fellowship. She’ll teach for two years at Durham Public Schools in North Carolina after earning her master’s degree.
“Katie will flourish as a graduate student at Duke University,” Vail said. “She is just the kind of teacher we need for the future to help solve problems, to guide new generations, and to show kindness in the process.”
