Fourteen students in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications have been selected as Matousek Scholars for the spring semester. The scholars serve as student leaders of the Experience Lab, coordinating day-to-day operations under faculty guidance.

The experiential learning program allows students to gain hands-on experience from day one of their college journey. Nearly 360 students are participating in the Experience Lab this spring — the highest enrollment for a semester yet.

Students work with faculty and professional mentors to build their academic skill sets while exploring their career interests in one of the college’s media outlets: Buoy, Heartland Pulse, 90.3 KRNU, Nebraska News Service, Nebraska Nightly, Production House and UNLimited Sports. Through these programs, students create content and manage projects for community organizations, news outlets and other media platforms.

Following is a list of student leaders for spring 2024, listed alphabetically by hometown, with their year in school, major(s) and program area:

Nebraska

• Beaver City: Shelby Rickert, sophomore, journalism, Nebraska News Service
• Bellevue: Owen Reimer, sophomore, secondary education, Nebraska News Service
• Gretna: Kaleigh Zollman, sophomore, advertising and public relations, Buoy
• Lincoln: Abel Eu-Bari, junior, advertising and public relations, Buoy; Helen Howard, senior, journalism, 90.3 KRNU; Linda Kuku, senior, broadcasting, Production House; Kamryn Snyder, sophomore, advertising and public relations, Heartland Pulse
• Papillion: Krystin Collins, junior, broadcasting, and sports media and communication, UNLimited Sports

Elsewhere in the U.S.

• Elmhurst, Illinois: Bobby Hessling, junior, sports media and communication, UNLimited Sports
• West Dundee, Illinois: Mackenzie Noble, sophomore, broadcasting, Nebraska Nightly
• Nevada, Iowa: Marissa Lindemann, sophomore, broadcasting, Production House
• Bel Aire, Kansas: AbbyLane Kloke, junior, advertising and public relations, Heartland Pulse
• Lebanon, Tennessee: Alex Neill, senior, broadcasting, and sports media and communication, 90.3 KRNU
• El Paso, Texas: Jay Quemado, junior, broadcasting, and journalism, Nebraska Nightly

To learn more about the Experience Lab, click here.