Many of you attending school dream or plan on moving away from Nebraska. Approximately one third of you will actually leave Nebraska after graduation according to the U.S Census Bureau.
Many graduates have a hard time finding a job in their chosen profession or simply yearn to stretch their adventurous wings to explore a different life in a different state. Whatever the reason that takes you far away from the Cornhusker state, the experience of living in Nebraska will remain long after the U-Haul boxes have been put away.
I moved away from Nebraska two years ago and notice how the experience of growing up as a Cornhusker is embedded in me. You may not notice, but others around you do. For instance, when you make chili and you have to have cinnamon rolls served with it because in most elementary schools in Nebraska it was always served together. It is also very true that people from Nebraska are pretty friendly and very open to talking to anyone.
When I meet fellow Nebraskans here in the Pacific Northwest, I notice they are some of the nicest people I have meet. I attend the Oregonians for Nebraska games in Portland, and I am amazed when I walk into the watch party and am swallowed up by a sea of red and friendly people. It’s like walking into any bar in Lincoln on a football Saturday except we are over 1600 miles away. It’s surreal to say the least.
I almost always run into someone I know, and we talk about food from Runza, Valentinos and Lazlo’s food and how much we miss them. For the Oregon native bystander, it seems as if we are talking in a foreign language.
Although I miss and love my beloved Nebraska, I fell in love with Oregon upon my first visit here. As a longtime self-devoted foodie and chef, I absorb the Pacific Northwest’s bounty of fresh fish and fresh vegetables that seem to grow almost year round out here. I like to think I cook Nebraska comfort food but with a Northwest twist.
When I started job searching out here, I encountered many employers talking about Midwest values, and it’s true. Nebraskan’s are generally a hardy sort; I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the 20 below wind chill factor or the stifling heat index with the humidity blanket in the summer.
We work hard and don’t let adversity get in our way. We value friends and family and football. Men are surprised about the amount of football knowledge I possess, but growing up listening to the games and then discussing them the rest of the week, I just absorbed the knowledge like osmosis. I fondly remember one of the first games I watched as a kid was the Orange Bowl with Turner Gill and Mike Rozier.
Nebraska stays connected with your soul no matter where you move. That’s one of the reasons we have so many alumni groups from all over the country. I have traveled all over the United States and have met many former Nebraskans from Cape Cod, Mass., to Las Vegas. In every chance encounter with a fellow Husker, I notice how their face lights up when they recall their time spent in the Cornhusker state.
Next time you have the chance to travel, simply wear your Husker red, and you will be amazed how many fellow Cornhuskers you will meet. Every day, I see something that reminds me of Nebraska.
My new home of Corvallis, Ore., reminds me of Seward. We have a population of over 60,000, and when Oregon State is in session, over 20,000 students invade this small northwest city. It still maintains its sense of small town, a know-your-neighbor vibe, but with an organic, healthy lifestyle kind of twist.
I find that many people that have never visited Nebraska have this huge misconception about our state, the stereotype that everyone grows up on a farm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by corn. Between me and you, I don’t think Stephen Kings “Children of the Corn” did much to change that image.
Most people are shocked and surprised that Lincoln and Omaha are rather big cities, a lot bigger than most of the cities here in Oregon. I do my best to educate these people and open their minds to our great state.
I am proud to say I was raised in Nebraska. My identity as a Husker will always be a part of me, like the roots of a plant. Although the flower may change with the seasons or get scattered across the country, my roots will always be red and white.
So if you decide on leaving Nebraska, always keep in touch with your Nebraska friends because true friends will ship you Dorothy Lynch, Runzas, and Valentinos, no matter where you live.