Meet a Husker: Jena Cruse

18 Mar 2024    

Meet Jena Cruse, a senior from Papillion, Nebraska, who is majoring in elementary education and special education (K-6).

Why did you choose the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

I am a fourth-generation UNL student going by to my great grandfather. This is where my parents and older sister all graduated from as well and each member of my family had some of the best times of their lives here. When it came time to make my college decision, it was very easy knowing this university offers not only high-level academic and research opportunities as part of the Big Ten, but also the opportunity to meet so many different people and be able to find people with the same unique interests as myself was very exciting!

What activities and organizations are you involved in on campus?

The Teacher Scholars Academy, the Salt Company, UNL Unified Special Olympics College Club, UNL Hope Venture Club

What has been your favorite class so far and why?

My favorite class has been Behavior Management with Dr. John Maag. It was a challenging class in the sense that there was a lot of content we covered in the class, but it was always presented or retaught to us in the lecture class in a way that made it so engaging you could not help but want to go home and study the content because of how interesting John was able to make it seem. All of the content is such applicable and practical knowledge for me to have in my future career as a special education teacher when I work with students who are displaying challenging behaviors.

What are your career goals?

I am currently student teaching at Elliott Elementary here in Lincoln. Once I graduate in May, I am hoping to begin my first full-time teaching job as a special education resource teacher either in Lincoln or the Omaha Metro area.

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