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Bergman Participates in State Conference Online

One-on-One Mentoring Encourages Him to Lead During Change
Bergman Participates in State Conference Online
As president of Nebraska Phi Beta Lambda, Hunter Bergman participated in the annual State Leadership Conference to Zoom. A transfer student, Bergman credited a peer for encouraging him to lead during change.

In just his second semester at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Hunter Bergman headed back home to Neligh, Nebraska, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeling anxious about his future, he utilized a friend’s advice to move forward and finish the semester strong.

“As the Nebraska PBL President, I participated in our State Leadership Conference for Nebraska Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) through Zoom. At times, I felt the pressure of how successful the event could be because of the unknown surrounding COVID-19 and it felt a bit like my first days at Nebraska,” said Bergman.

As student workers for the Center for Entrepreneurship, Hunter Bergman and Katie Fawl help with events such as the 48-Hour Challenge.
As student workers for the Center for Entrepreneurship, Hunter Bergman and Katie Fawl help with events such as the 48-Hour Challenge.

A transfer student from Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, Bergman came to Nebraska to start his junior year of college. Without his closest friends, he felt intimidated at times by the many strangers in Lincoln and at the university.

“The first day of classes I was standing outside the large auditorium in the College of Business and thought, ‘Wow, this is a lot of people for one class,'” said the junior marketing major. “At Northeast, I was very involved on campus and knew everybody, but when I came to Nebraska, I didn’t know anybody, and it was frightening at first.”

Bergman took the initiative to get more connected when he saw a job posting for the Center for Entrepreneurship on Handshake, a platform where students can search and apply for internships and full-time careers. He got the job and also met Katie Fawl, a senior management major from Lincoln, Nebraska, who worked at the center.

“Katie was the first person at the university who got to know me personally. She brought me into the startup environment within the university. She was well connected and introduced me to a lot of people,” said Bergman.

Fawl noticed Bergman’s entrepreneurial skills. She decided to help him prepare for the future disruption often experienced by entrepreneurs.

“Through my experiences at the Center for Entrepreneurship, I learned it's important to embrace and adapt to ambiguity. I wanted to let Hunter know while uncertainty is scary, you still have the power to do something about it. Things are constantly changing and the key to succeed is evolving with the change,” said Fawl.

Due to Fawl’s example and as a member of Big Red Startups student organization, Bergman supports other student entrepreneurs through a series called Founders Friday, a podcast which features local, young entrepreneurs and connects listeners with resources. He wants people to see the center as a welcoming place on campus where entrepreneurs can go to meet others and start new things.

“Entrepreneurs are all shapes, sizes and majors. There are so many students on campus who may not even know the center exists at the College of Business or that it is open to all students across the university. We want to make sure people know we are here for them,” he said.

To learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurship, visit: https://business.unl.edu/entrepreneurship. Listen to the Founders Friday podcast at: https://startupsunl.com/founder-fridays/.

Published: May 13, 2020