A gift to this unrestricted fund enables the college to take advantage of special opportunities as they arise or lend a hand where students and faculty need it most.
Kennedy Klimek has been preparing for the classroom all her life.
Looking back, all the signs pointed toward a future in teaching for the elementary education major at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Klimek remembers spending her childhood pretending to be a teacher for her younger siblings at their home in Burwell, Nebraska.
“I’d always played school with them, and I just loved teaching them when my parents were gone,” she said.
Klimek also spent time working as a teacher aide for a third grade elementary classroom while in high school. She said the relationships she formed with her students during that time only affirmed her decision that teaching was the path for her.
“Teaching is just all I have wanted to do since I was little,” she said. “I didn’t even look at any other school except for UNK. I knew I was going there, and I knew I was going to love it.”
Today, Klimek is a junior at the university. In addition to pursuing her degree Klimek plans to earn a coaching endorsement, with the hope of returning to small-town Nebraska to teach and coach volleyball.
Klimek is also the recipient of a Dean’s Scholarship through UNK’s College of Education. The scholarship, funded through support to the UNK Fund – COE Area of Greatest Need, provided her with the support necessary to continue succeeding at the university.
“This scholarship genuinely made me want to keep pushing forward toward my dream,” Klimek said. “It let me know that I was actually doing good and that people see that, so I can’t stop now.”
Klimek said her experience within the college has been transformative. From engaging classroom experiences that provide her with real-world learning opportunities to committed faculty and staff, Klimek said she has always felt like she belonged at UNK.
“It has really inspired me to keep striving for the future, because I’ve wanted to teach for a long time,” she said.
Klimek plans to return to rural Nebraska once she completes her education at UNK. She said she’s looking forward to creating the same special learning environment she grew up with for her future classrooms.
“I want to make every kid feel seen and valued, and I definitely think you get that opportunity in a small-town atmosphere,” Klimek said.
Without support to the UNK Fund – College of Education Area of Greatest Need, Klimek said she wouldn’t have been able to continue pursuing her dream.
“I just want to express my gratitude and appreciation for this scholarship,” she said. “Pursuing my dream is more possible now thanks to this support.”
