Beyond Words: Kattie Sadd’s Inspiring Journey Back to UNK

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

We’ve all said it at some point. Even Kattie Sadd remembers chanting it as a young girl in her small hometown of Beaver City, Nebraska.

“But words do hurt, and they do have really serious implications,” said Sadd, a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s online Master of Arts in Public Communication program and the 2025 Graduate Student of the Year for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Now living in Trenton, Maine, years after earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UNK in 2017, Sadd understands the power words can hold.

Three words continuously come up when reflecting on her journey at UNK: community, support, and family.

com·mu·ni·ty (/kəˈmyo͞onədē/)

Sadd first experienced community at UNK during her undergraduate years, not only through classes but also while working at Cunningham’s Journal, a popular Kearney bar and grill co-owned by Yousef Ghamedi.

Surprisingly, this work-place community later became instrumental in reconnecting Sadd to UNK’s online graduate program. 

“The sense of community at UNK is absolutely unreal,” Sadd said. “I think if you’re able to say that at the end of an online program, then they’re doing something right.” 

During a visit home to Nebraska, Sadd stopped by Cunningham’s Journal to catch up with Ghamedi, whom she “looks up to and respects.”

Ghamedi mentioned that his wife, Dr. Tiffani Luethke, had recently joined UNK as an associate professor of communication and was having trouble finding a graduate research assistant. Knowing Sadd’s educational background, he encouraged her to reach out to Dr. Luethke to learn more about the program.

“I’m very thankful that not only Yousef, but Dr. Luethke, re-inspired me and gave me a little bit more confidence in myself to go back and try to further my education.” 

After just one virtual meeting with Dr. Luethke, Sadd knew she’d return to her alma mater – this time as an online graduate student.

sup·port (/səˈpôrt/) 

With only two weeks until the start of the semester, Sadd leaned on Dr. Luethke’s support to quickly apply, get accepted, and enrolled in classes. Sadd was even awarded a scholarship and secured the graduate research assistant position.

Sadd, who had never conducted research to that extent before, worked on many research projects for UNK’s Communication faculty. One of those studies, focused on the impact of unwelcome or unhelpful advice given to people with chronic conditions, co-authored with Dr. Luekthke and Dr. Jessica Hample has recently been accepted for publication.

“She really motivated me, encouraged me, and gave me confidence,” Sadd said about her advisor, Dr. Luethke. “Having her help every step of the way has just been life changing.”

Sadd played a major role in Dr. Luethke’s PhotoVoice research, which is a participatory research method that provides participants with digital cameras to photograph their lived experiences.

“This kind of research is important, and it makes these people feel heard,” said Sadd. “It helps empower them. It helps them feel like they're part of the change.”

Inspired by her work on Dr. Luethke’s PhotoVoice research involving Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) refugee women resettling in the Midwest, Sadd conducted her own PhotoVoice study focusing on homelessness in her rural community in Maine.

Thanks to the support of her UNK faculty mentors, Sadd presented research virtually twice at UNK’s Student Research Day and shared findings alongside UNK faculty at the 110th Annual Communication Association Conference in New Orleans.

“The support that UNK gives to students, the communication they have with you – it’s a never-ending supply of support and encouragement,” she said.

fam·i·ly (/ˈfam(ə)lē/) 

According to Webster’s Dictionary, family is defined as “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation.” To Sadd, family has an even simpler definition: UNK.

“That’s one of my favorite things about UNK – people treat you like family; they genuinely care about you,” Sadd said.

Even from more than 1,500 miles away, Sadd felt consistently supported, connected, and cared for. Faculty weren’t just professors, and classmates weren’t just peers – they were her extended Loper family.

When Sadd returned to Nebraska to participate in the MENA PhotoVoice community forum, she finally met fellow graduate assistants face-to-face. Immediately, they rallied together, offering transportation from the airport to the forum, and even back to Kearney to visit her family.

“Talk about community!” Sadd exclaimed.

“It’s great to be part of the UNK community again,” she continued. “To be able to take everything I’ve learned from UNK and just keep spreading it - it’s just like a ripple effect.”

Sadd hopes her newfound knowledge and passion will lead her into a Ph.D. program, authoring a book, or simply continuing to advocate for marginalized voices everywhere. 

“I want to use everything that I've learned at UNK to help make a difference and help spread awareness about the impact of our words on one another,” she said.