by Matthew Strasburger | University Communication and Marketing
Mitch West has never shied away from a new challenge.
After successful forays into music journalism, photography, craft beer and professional firework and pyrotechnic shows for Husker athletic events, the multi-hyphenate and multitalented West still had one lingering goal he wanted to achieve since childhood: become a Husker.
“I’ve always wanted to go here,” West said. “My mom didn’t go to college, my dad didn’t, my sister didn’t — it was an opportunity to be the first in my family to attend college. Being a nontraditional student, I felt like I still had a point to prove to myself.”
From teaching himself to work a camera to shoot indie concerts, learning the ins and outs of selling magazine ads to launch a craft beer publication or walking up to a professional firework operator asking about their craft, West is constantly looking to expand his repertoire of creative skills.
After years of learning and leveraging these skills in the real world and building a successful career, a local news segment on the Nebraska Promise program — the University of Nebraska’s full tuition program for qualifying students — made him consider the possibility of bringing his skillset back to the classroom.
“I barely caught the end of the segment and wasn’t sure if I’d even qualify,” he said. “I had two weeks to decide if I was going apply.”
With characteristic hustle, West applied to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and for the Nebraska Promise program. He was accepted to both, and is majoring in advertising and public relations.
“It’s a great opportunity to have an up-to-date education and see how things I’m interested in are being taught to new generations,” he said
Between connecting with Huskers from around the globe or sharing pop culture references across generations, getting to know his classmates has been the most impactful part of West’s nontraditional college journey.
“My perspective has broadened so much with this experience,” he said. “You just don’t realize how much you don’t know. You’re around all these amazing students doing wild things and who want to change the world, each and every day.”