54 degrees awarded at December commencement

by Kait Van Loon

December 23, 2024

Cameron King of Omaha takes a selfie with his fellow College of Journalism and Mass Communications graduates before the undergraduate commencement ceremony Dec. 21 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The university conferred 1,149 degrees to 1,132 graduates during ceremonies Dec. 20 and 21.
Cameron King of Omaha takes a selfie with his fellow College of Journalism and Mass Communications graduates before the undergraduate commencement ceremony Dec. 21 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The university conferred 1,149 degrees to 1,132 graduates during ceremonies Dec. 20 and 21.
Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing

Nebraska’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications celebrates the 46 students who graduated on Dec. 21, 2024, with a bachelor's degree in journalism and the eight master's students whose degrees were awarded at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 20, 2024.  

The CoJMC is the only undergraduate program accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications in Nebraska. The degree provides students with the technical skills, broad liberal arts education, and critical thinking skills necessary to excel in the ever-changing journalism and mass communications industries.  

The college offers four academic majors for a bachelor's degree in journalism: advertising and public relations, broadcasting, journalism and sports media and communication. The program is committed to preparing graduates to meet the challenges of the rapidly evolving media landscape by offering a challenging and supportive academic environment.  

Six students graduated with distinction in recognition of outstanding academic excellence. Eligibility for distinction is based upon the cumulative grade point average of all credit hours taken at UNL prior to the beginning of the term in which the student receives their degree. A student can elevate their level of distinction by completing a thesis or creative project before graduation. To learn more about graduating with distinction, visit https://journalism.unl.edu/student-resources/academic-advising/.  

The following is a list of December 2024 bachelor of journalism graduates, listed alphabetically by last name with their hometown and distinction (if applicable):

NameHometownDistinction
Taylor AddisonNorth Sioux City, SD 
Lauren AleknaviciusDe Pere, WI 
Caroline BadbergLincoln, NE 
Jack BeelmanOmaha, NE 
Logan BerggrenOmaha, NE 
Cassandra BrownLincoln, NE 
Diana CamposOmaha, NE 
Emily CasanovaColumbus, NE 
Emily ClearWayzata, MN 
Ashley ColeLincoln, NE 
Caine DodsonLapeer, MI 
Olivia FortinBennington, NE 
Aeriel FreyLincoln, NE 
Charlotte GottfriedSpring, TX 
Nicola HaukEppelheim,  
Samantha HaukArgyle, TX 
Rodney Hayes IIArgyle, TX 
Savanna HebbertLiberal, KS 
Jasmine Hermosillo-PadillaOmaha, NE 
Kathryn HollingCrete, NE 
Narmeena IbrahimovaLincoln, NE 
Haley JacksonNorth Platte, NEDistinction
Haedyn JorgensonCouncil Bluffs, IA 
Cameron KingOmaha, NE 
Isabelle LentferIndependence, MO 
Olivia LynchNorth Platte, NE 
Isabella MacerankaMission Viejo, CA 
Mykel NayeriMilwaukee, WI 
Sam NewellPapillion, NE 
Sierra NobleSioux Falls, SD 
Alexandra ReedLavista, NE 
Zoey ReevesBattle Creek, NE 
Alexia ReyesDakota City, NE 
Grace RobertsOverland Park, KSHigh Distinction
Amber RodriguezPapillion, NE 
Alexandra Sierra-MendozaSeward, NE 
Lucas SinnettOmaha, NE 
Trystin SomersBennet, NE 
Kyle SotoFirth, NEDistinction
Emily SteinerLincoln, NE 
Emily StepanyukLincoln, NEDistinction
Isabella SysloOmaha, NEDistinction
Alaina TomeshRice Lake, WI 
Luke VieNickerson, NE 
Madison VinciWrightstown, NJ 
Ella WieczorekOmaha, NEDistinction

The CoJMC graduate programs offer a master's degree with specializations in integrated media and communications and professional journalism, as well as, a graduate certificate in public relations and social media

The following is a list of CoJMC's December 2024 M.A. graduates, listed alphabetically by last name, with their degree and specialization:

NameDegreeSpecialization
Melissa DeFordMaster of ArtsProfessional Journalism
Michele WolfordMaster of ArtsIntegrated Media Communications
Aaron SanderfordMaster of ArtsProfessional Journalism
Isabella BensonMaster of ArtsProfessional Journalism
Austine OkoroduduMaster of ArtsIntegrated Media Communications
Anne-Marie WilliamsonMaster of ArtsIntegrated Media Communications
Gayle Kerr-McFaddenMaster of ArtsIntegrated Media Communications
Brendon OrrMaster of ArtsIntegrated Media Communications