A new round of reporters has joined Nebraska Mosaic, and their first step into reporting about new Americans has been to track their own immigrant past.

They discovered some of their ancestors came on the Mayflower, and others fought in wars such as the U.S. Revolution, the U.S. Civil War and the Korean Conflict.

They learned that their ancestors traveled to America from England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Bohemia, the Netherlands and a host of other places. Rarely did their ancestors go straight to Nebraska. Some first stopped in Canada or other parts of the United States.

Their ancestors were soldiers and sailors, teachers and tailors. Some worked as miners or postal workers, as priests or farmers. Some raised horses, and others counted manhole covers.

Mostly they found that their ancestors came for many of the same reasons that are still attracting people from around the world today.

The news students include:

• Elisabeth Arneson

• Madison Bell

• Kayla Crowder

• Sam Egan

• Sara Hinds

• Jillian Humphries

• Erika Kime

• Sam Pimper

• Sierra Ramsay

• Emily Rust

• Brittany Schave

• Stacie Sikora

• Veronica Vanderbeek

• Robert Vencil

Nebraska Mosaic is a project of the UNL’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Staffed each semester by a class of undergraduate and graduate students, and under the supervision of associate professor of practice Tim Anderson, Nebraska Mosaic seeks to give voice to Lincoln’s growing refugee and immigrant communities.

For more information on the Mosaic project, click here.