UNK's Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Dr. Amy Nebesniak's multiple roles make a bold impact

What kind of mark do you want to leave in the world? For Dr. Amy Nebesniak, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, determining her answer to this question allowed her to take a more active role in her education and the formation of her goals.  

  As a graduate student, she wished she had known that “it is up to me to apply what I am learning and [to] start navigating the impact I want to make on the world,” she said. “I am not a robot being programmed. I need to put my own twist or mark on what I am learning and doing.” 

Nebesniak’s desire to achieve and to stand out from the crowd has allowed her to pursue a variety of career goals and leadership opportunities. In addition to her role as an associate professor, Nebesniak serves as the Assistant Director of the Honors Program and the Executive Director of Loper Launch Enrichment Camp.  

Loper Launch Enrichment Camp, formerly known as PAWS University, is a curriculum-based summer learning camp held on UNK’s campus in June for elementary and middle school students. It provides fun, hands-on projects and activities to continue learning throughout the summer. 

“The purpose is to provide community youth educational opportunities that are hands-on, while simultaneously exposing them to a college campus,” said Nebesniak. “I love bringing new and exciting learning opportunities to our community youth. Plus, working with young children in the summer is so fun and rejuvenating.” 

Positions such as these allow Nebesniak to instruct, guide, and work with students from the graduate level to those entering kindergarten. It is no surprise then that the students are “hands down” her favorite part of her job.  

“They are the reason I do what I do,” she said. 

After her ten years of experience in K-12 schools and ten years at UNK, Nebesniak knows how quickly education can change, requiring teachers to keep up with the latest research and trends to engage their students and communities. But she came to understand that contentment amidst the ever-changing landscape of the education world would help her to achieve more.  

“I tend to want to do too much and to do it to a perfectionistic level,” she said. “Coming to the realization that there is always something more to learn and achieve, while simultaneously being proud of where I currently am” is what she considers to be her greatest educational achievement.  

Keeping this in mind while navigating the variety of roles she holds helps to ground her and to remind her why she does the work. 

“The current quote motivating me is, ‘Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves that you forget, truly forget, how much you have always loved to swim,’ by Tyler Gregson,” she said.  

Because of her goal to be involved and to have an impact, Nebesniak often takes on more projects than she has time to do the way she would like, but through it all, she is still able to remember the impact she wants to have on the world.  

“Recently this has led me to not enjoy certain elements of my job as much as I had in the past,” she said. “I am working to remember how much I truly love to swim." 

It takes 35-45 teachers and 8 paraeducators to teach and run Loper Launch Enrichment Camp. If you’re interested in getting involved with camp, more information can be found at www.unk.edu/loperlaunch and on the Facebook page. Class proposal applications open in December!