May 9 will be a day to remember for University of Nebraska–Lincoln senior Reilly Pogue.
That morning, Pogue will turn her tassel and receive a bachelor’s of journalism degree, joining a record class of more than 3,500 Huskers. Hours later, she’ll tie the knot with her fiancé and move to Omaha to start a full-time position as a marketing associate at Gallup.
As she enters a new chapter of life, the memory of her late father, Mark Pogue — Nebraska’s founding executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute in the College of Business — will continue to shape her career and passion for leading others.
“I really do feel like I’m carrying on my dad’s legacy in almost all aspects of my life right now, which is really meaningful to me,” Pogue said.
Pogue’s journey at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln began in 2016, when she and her family moved to Lincoln from their hometown of Chanhassen, Minnesota.
That fall, as Pogue started her first year at Nebraska, her father also began his role as director of the Clifton Strengths Institute. Excited to follow in his footsteps, Pogue became a student strengths coach in the college her sophomore year.
After his passing in 2018, Pogue stayed involved with the program, returning as a strengths coach her senior year. Leading students the same way her father did, she said, helped her find meaning in her college experience.
“So many students knew him, and he taught every freshman in the College of Business. It was really hard because of the impact he made, and I knew that he would have made an even bigger impact because he was just getting started at the university,” Pogue said. “But I know that his legacy is being carried on, and the Strengths Institute is getting stronger and stronger with more involvement every year, which just makes me so happy. I’m just really happy I could be a part of that and make a difference, as well.”
Pogue credits her friends, professors and faith with helping her stay resilient and push through to graduation.
In Alpha Phi, Pogue’s sorority, a never-ending supply of cards, flowers and hugs were always on hand.
“My sorority was just a huge, amazing support system for me,” Pogue said. “I really don’t know what I would have done without the support from what felt like 150 women.”
She also was able to share her story with others through Young Life, a Christian ministry organization on campus.
“I wanted to find meaning through my suffering and my grief, and I think a main way of doing that is just talking about it and telling people about it,” Pogue said. “Through Young Life, I would give club talks on Tuesday nights. It was the most terrifying thing of my life, but it was a huge growing experience for me and really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It’s really been a huge and fulfilling part of my college career.”
With a strong network of support at the university, Pogue stayed on track with schoolwork and discovered her love for advertising and marketing. During her four years at the university, she completed internships at Nelnet, FUSE Coworking and Gallup.
In many ways, Pogue said she sees her new job at Gallup — the company that administers Clifton Strengths testing, as well as where her father worked for many years — as coming full-circle.
“I wanted to love what I did at work every day, and I wanted to be passionate about it,” Pogue said. “I wanted to care about the mission of the job, and I do really, really care about what Gallup does. For me, it’s my dream job, and I’m just I’m very, very grateful.”
Though she’s leaving Lincoln behind for now, Pogue won’t forget her time as a Husker.
“I’m going to miss it so much,” she said. “My freshman year, I would have never imagined the growth, the people that I would meet and the person that I would become on the other end of this. I seriously have the university and the people part of it to thank for that.”
