KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is recognizing six spring graduates with the Mary Jane and William R. Nester Student Leadership Award.
Established by former UNK Chancellor William R. Nester and his wife Mary Jane, the award honors outstanding seniors who have excelled academically and demonstrated exemplary service, character and leadership during their UNK undergraduate careers.
This year’s honorees are:
Sam Heitz of York graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in music education. He’ll start his career as a K-6 music teacher at Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Public Schools this fall.
Heitz was a member of numerous music ensembles at UNK, including the Choraleers, Collegium, Men’s Chorus, Nebraskats, Symphonic Band and Pride of the Plains Marching Band. He served as a drum major for two years and was vice president and president of the National Association for Music Education chapter, which received national recognition for an advocacy project supporting the One-Handed Woodwinds Program.
Heitz was also part of the UNK Honors Program, Secondary Educators’ Club and Residence Life Community Council. He received the Travis Kilmer Award for marching band excellence.
Crew Howard of Clarinda, Iowa, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in business administration with a management emphasis. He’ll pursue a Master of Business Administration at UNK while completing his wrestling career.
A captain for the Lopers, Howard has been a member of two NCAA Division II national championship teams and he’s earned All-American honors twice individually, finishing third nationally in 2024 and fourth in 2025. He’s a four-time recipient of the MIAA Academic Excellence Award, three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and one of just five Loper wrestlers ever to be named a CSC/CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Howard received the MIAA “A Game” Scholar-Athlete award for the second consecutive year and he’s a finalist for the Ken B. Jones Award presented to the top student-athletes in the conference. He was named UNK Male Student-Athlete of the Year for 2024-25 and recognized as an outstanding graduate by the Department of Management.
Dawson Kosmicki of Cairo graduated summa cum laude with a degree in wildlife biology and a minor in geographic information science. He’ll pursue a master’s degree at Fort Hays State University.
Kosmicki was part of the UNK Honors Program, serving as a book club leader, envoy and envoy leader, and the Undergraduate Research Fellows program. He was also involved in Loper Leaders and The Wildlife Society, serving as chapter president.
A recipient of the prestigious Board of Regents Scholarship, he was recognized for best undergraduate research poster by the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists and best ecology research poster by the Kansas Herpetological Society.
Sydney Owen of Kearney graduated summa cum laude with a degree in business administration with an accounting emphasis. She’ll pursue a Master of Business Administration at UNK while working as a graduate assistant and studying for the CPA exam.
Owen held leadership positions in the UNK Honors Program, Honors Student Advisory Board, Special Olympics Nebraska and Mortar Board honor society. She was also involved in Loper Programming and Activities Council, campus intramurals and the Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi honor societies.
A homecoming royalty finalist in 2024, Owen received numerous internal and external scholarships, including the Nebraska Society of CPAs Scholarship and UNK Accounting Program Partners Scholarship. She was recognized as a Leland and Jean Copeland Intramural Participant of the Year and College of Business and Technology outstanding graduate.
Bethany Rother of Weskan, Kansas, graduated summa cum laude with degrees in studio art and theater with an emphasis in acting and directing. A licensed pilot, she’ll continue flying for Trego Dugan Aviation while working on her flight instructor certification.
Rother served as president of the Honors Student Advisory Board, vice president of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and homecoming co-chair for Loper Programming and Activities Council. She was also involved in the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, Alpha Psi Omega honor society, Residence Life Community Council, UNK Art Society, Alpha Eta Rho aviation organization, Women in Aviation and 99’s Aviation Club.
Rother participated in World Language Conversation Tables and numerous theater productions, served as a campus tour guide and led a variety of volunteer projects. She received the UNK Alumni Association Outstanding Senior Award, Dean’s Academic Excellence Award and UNK Theatre Department Outstanding Senior Award.
Mackenzie Welsh of Papillion graduated summa cum laude with a degree in communication disorders and a minor in women’s and gender studies. She’ll pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Welsh served as president of the UNK Panhellenic Council, Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and Kearney Student Speech Language and Hearing Association. She also held leadership positions with the Order of Omega and Triota honor societies and was involved in Operation Smile.
A student worker in UNK Student Engagement for two years, Welsh received the Nebraska Career Scholarship and other academic awards. She was named UNK Sorority Member of the Year for 2024-25.
