The DN

THE DN

VOL. CXVIII, ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018 A DAILY NEBRASKAN PUBLICATION

FINDING HIS STRIDE ROBY REACHES POTENTIAL

BARRET PICKERING’S JOURNEY TO UNL A TASTE OF CULTURE STUDENTS, STAFF BOND OVER MEALS

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EDITOR’S LETTER

ISSUE N° 4 Dear reader, When I was asked to take over as the senior sports editor for The Daily Nebraskan for the 2018-19 year, I was conflicted.

It’s the same kind of attitude I had when I decided to apply for senior staff as a reporter. I could have stayed where I was at, writing six stories a week while covering student government and earning a higher paycheck than my editors.

STAFF editor - in - chief

JESSICA LARKINS managing editor

BEN LARSEN senior news editor

Up to that point, I had spent the last three years of my college and journalistic career writing for our news section. I wrote hundreds of general assignment stories about seemingly any topic I could get my hands on. I practiced and learned writing under some of the best mentors I’ve ever had the opportunity to be around.

As a senior news editor last semester we covered everything from Nazis to Runza closing, and despite severe staff turnover, our section was the most read section of the year.

ELIZABETH REMBERT

But I didn’t.

assistant news editors

If there’s anything that I’ve learned from this past year, it’s that you can’t let comfort become blinding.

Love what you do, but don’t be afraid to take a chance on yourself.

No matter how it turns out, you’re going to learn something about yourself.

MIA EVERDING JOHN GRINVALDS senior sports editor

NOAH JOHNSON assistant sports editors

JACOB BOVA LUKE MULLIN senior culture editor

SAM CRISLER assistant culture editors

Best,

ALLY SARGUS JOHN REEL opinion editor

SYDNEY OZUNA

I was comfortable where I was at.

copy chief

JENSYN LABADIE

So what the hell was I doing trying to lead a section I knew nothing about during one of the most important years for Husker athletics in recent history?

design chief

WILL FLEIG senior photo / video editor

KARISSA SCHMIDT

Honestly, I asked myself that more times than I can count leading up the start of the fall semester and my first day of publishing.

assistant photo / video editors

HANNAH DEPRIEST DYLAN WIDGER senior art director

AUSTIN COUDRIET

But here we are at the end of the first semester and I couldn’t be any happier with my decision. I’m proud of my staff for the work they have accomplished so far, which is highlighted by Luke Mullin and Matt Hardesty’s stories found in this issue.

assistant art director

PHA NGUYEN engagement editor

BEN BUCHNAT general manager

DAN SHATTIL

If there’s anything I’ve learned about myself this past semester, it’s that I’m not satisfied with being comfortable. I could have stayed where I was at and continued my work in the news section, or I could take a risk and I could try something that was new and honestly, terrifying.

THE DN

VOL. CXVIII, ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018 NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT 2018 A DAILY NEBRASKAN PUBLICATION

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DON WALTON Noah Johnson Senior Sports Editor

Founded in 1901, The Daily Nebraskan is the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s only independent daily news organization with content written, edited and produced entirely by UNL students. The Daily Nebraskan is published by the UNL Publications Board, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448. The board holds public meetings monthly. © 2018 The Daily Nebraskan contact

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FINDING HIS STRIDE ROBY REACHES POTENTIAL

BARRET PICKERING’S JOURNEY TO UNL A TASTE OF CULTURE STUDENTS, STAFF BOND OVER MEALS

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THE DN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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DINNER IN A NEBRASKA HOME

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MENTAL HEALTH

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ISAIAH ROBY

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BARRET PICKERING

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FALL FASHION

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OPINION

EVERYONE’S WELCOME AT DINNER FAITH IDACHABA STAFF WRITER Mikki and Todd Sandin spent the cool, rainy evening of Oct. 8 discussing authentic Chinese teas and Husker football over chicken noodle soup.

under the name Dinner with an American Family, after they realized very few international students visited a personal home in the United States.

Three international students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln joined the Sandins for soup and conversation: Jason Yang, a freshman English as a second language student from China, Salim Bait Said, a sophomore interior design major from Oman and Japhet Dushimeyesu, a freshman integrated science major from Rwanda.

The program officially launched campuswide in spring 2016. The staff and administration later changed the name to Dinner in a Nebraska Home to make the program more inclusive.

After dinner, the Sandins gave the students a closer look into American culture with a tour of their house.

Students and hosts attend receptions and are paired up. A host will typically have two or three students.

This is the Sandins’ fifth time hosting international students through Dinner in a Nebraska Home, a program that invites international students to UNL faculty homes to share a meal.

Lostroh said that the response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Teresa Lostroh, assistant director of New Student Enrollment, said UNL staff and administrators piloted Dinner in a Nebraska Home in spring 2015

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“We realized that not all hosts have families and are not American,” Lostroh said.

“It’s a very popular program,” she said. “This semester, we have 52 hosts and 166 students with 32 countries represented.”

Photos by Kenneth Ferriera

Dushimeyesu, who has lived in the United States since the beginning of the fall semester, said he participated in Dinner in a Nebraska Home because he thought it would be useful for him to learn more about American culture.

“I plan on staying in the United States for four more years, so it would be good for me [to] know more about American life,” he said.

Yang said that his favorite part about the program was the food and meeting Mikki. “[Mikki Sandin] is very enthusiastic,” he said.

“I learned more about the American life through the dinner alone.”

Like Dushimeyesu, Yang has lived in the United States for two months. He said life in America is drastically different from life in China.

“There’s more freedom in America than in my country,” he said. “People [in America] seem to enjoy life, and there’s a lot more you can do here.”

“WE WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS THAT THEY MATTER AND HAVE A HOME HERE...”

Lostroh said the purpose of the program goes beyond just a meal in a private Nebraska home.

“We want to build connections between our students and university employees and to provide an informal platform for reciprocal cultural exchange,” she said. “The students learn about what life is really like [in Nebraska], and the hosts learn about the students’ cultures and experiences.”

Sandin said her bond with the international students she’s hosted didn’t end after the reception and dinner.

“The first time I participated, I hosted a few Saudi Arabian students and I enjoyed having my time with them,” she said. “I’ve developed a relationship with them and they come over to my house whenever they can.”

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Sandin said putting herself in the place of an international student motivates her to continue to participate in the program.

“If I was visiting a different country, I would enjoy being in a home of someone from that country,” she said. “I want to do the same for international students who come here. It’s really important for me to open up not only my home, but also my life and interests.”

Rachel Ayalon, who works in the Office of Global Strategies, hosted six students from China, Malaysia, India and Rwanda with Nebraska State Sen. Adam Morfeld.

Ayalon said she decided to be a host because she wanted to get to know the international students she works with in an informal setting.

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“The environment allows students to be more comfortable and for us to have good discussions,” she said. “It’s a nice time for [me and the students] to talk outside of an academic setting.”

Lostroh said she hopes that through this program, international students know they are cared for and valued.

“We want to make it clear to international students that they matter and have a home here,” she said. “We know that when students feel connected to the university and feel that someone cares about them, they are more likely to be retained and persist to graduation.”

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GRAD STUDENTS AND MENTAL HEALTH LAURYN HIGGINS STAFF WRITER Jennifer Andersen, a University of Nebraska Lincoln sociology graduate teaching and research assistant, has seen a considerable difference in her daily workload since starting her doctoral program in fall 2017.

“I feel as though I’m handling it well, but it is rough sometimes,” she said. “You have to be self-disciplined as a graduate student, which can be difficult when there is a lot of outside noise.”

Recent scientific findings report that graduate students are six times more likely to develop depression or anxiety than the general public.

The report from the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology found 41 percent of graduate students surveyed scored within the range of moderate to severe anxiety, and 39 percent placed in the moderate to severe depression range.

In comparison, undergraduate students experienced similar rates of mental health issues. A report from the University of Chicago found 42 percent of undergraduate students cited anxiety as a top concern during their time in school, while 37 percent experienced depression at some point during college.

While college students at all academic levels face relatively similar rates of mental health issues, it’s the new and unexpected outside factors that cause graduate students to struggle more noticeably and oftentimes develop mental health issues or see pre-existing issues worsen.

Belinda Hinojos works with graduate students as the training director at Counseling and Psychological Services. She said graduate students encounter new challenges different from their undergraduate studies, and managing it all can be difficult. “... Graduate students are often expected to take a full course load early on, in addition to conducting research, teaching courses and managing an assistantship,” she said. “That is a lot to manage.”

Jazmin Castillo, a research assistant and master’s student in applied ecology, said she’s learning to manage the shift from undergraduate to graduate studies.

“I was so isolated my first year because I was the only one in my lab,” she said. “I had nobody to turn to for any advice or general questions that I did not want to bother my advisor. I went through a phase of wondering if I had made the wrong choice being in graduate school.”

The spike in anxiety and depression among graduate students stems not only from a poor work-life balance, but also from a lack of support from professors and academic colleagues, the reports show.

Brianna McKay, a graduate student in the department of nutrition and health sciences, said she was confronted with one major change from an otherwise smooth transition from undergraduate to graduate studies.

“The biggest thing that is different is that there are definitely higher expectations,” she said.

“There’s no playing the ignorance card at this level.”

McKay serves as a research assistant and works as a study coordinator, recruiting and managing 70 participants for an industry-sponsored clinical trial.

“It can be stressful, no doubt,” she said. “It’s exceptionally easy to lock yourself in the lab all day to get stuff done, only later realizing you never saw the light of day. Some days are better than others, and you really have to keep working with the end in mind.”

The American Psychological Association reports college students at all levels across the country are seeking more help for mental health issues than ever before.

On-campus resources for mental health issues, such as individual therapy and support therapy groups, are readily available, and Hinojos said they can help students maintain a healthy worklife balance. She said finding a balance looks different at every stage of a student’s life.

The university offers a graduate women’s group, a research support group and a group named “Thriving in Grad School” to help students whose needs might be more specific and are tailored to graduate studies.

Photo by Jackson Wilford

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Castillo said one professor helped her realize others face challenges in graduate school too, when she opened up about her own experiences as a former graduate student.

“Once I got a research assistantship, I gained a cohort that provided me a group where I could ask questions with others who were experiencing the same thing as myself,” she said.

UNL recently welcomed Connie Boehm as director of Big Red Resilience, a program that helps students overcome the daily challenges and stress college brings. The program plans to offer peer-mentor programs to students in the spring of 2019.

Other on-campus resources for students battling mental health issues include online mental health screenings, couples counseling and suicide prevention resources.

“I have learned to realize that taking time out of my day away from my work allows me to refresh my thoughts,” Castillo said. “I try to do sports or relax with my dog, especially when I am stuck with a problem. It has allowed me to take a step back and acknowledge that I am more than my research.”

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SELLING

SMILES AND COFFEE

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ERICA COURTNEY STAFF WRITER As he stood behind the counter, dressed in all black, his orange and pink shoelaces matching the neon Dunkin’ Donuts sign hanging above, Vernon Joseph focused on the latte he was making.

Almost every morning at 7:30, Joseph arrives at Dunkin’ Donuts in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons to work his shift as general manager.

Joseph said he started working for the coffee chain in 2014 to make extra money, but he said he loved the fast-paced environment and the positive impact he could make on people with a coffee and a smile. He decided to pick it up as a full-time job so he could have that positive impact all the time.

“I was talking to a girl, and she asked what I did,” Joseph said.

“When I told her I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts, she said, ‘You sell smiles.’ Because when someone’s going to work, going to the mall or coming home from work, we have a chance to make their day good.”

Joseph said it can be a little stressful if they are really busy. But despite this, he said making the drinks can be fun, especially if he is making iced coffee with a vanilla swirl, cream and sugar — his cup of choice.

“I love iced coffee, I drink it all year long, but all the drinks are really fun to make,” he said. “My philosophy is, yes, we see 1,000 people a day, but at this exact moment, I’m working on one drink and that’s what I’m doing in this moment.”

Though he enjoys making coffee the most, Joseph said a highlight of his day is when he makes the donuts fresh every afternoon, especially when he makes his favorites — the vanilla cream or double chocolate.

When he’s not standing in front of the espresso machine making drinks or in the kitchen frying donuts, Joseph said he can be found behind the register taking orders.

While he enjoys making the products they sell, Joseph said it’s always a great feeling when he has a longer conversation with a customer or when he remembers a regular’s order.

“Whenever we have a good laugh with a guest, that’s always a fun time,” he said. “There’s times where a guest comes up and you get to know their order. It’s just their usual, but sometimes we can get them to try something new, and that’s always fun.”

Joseph enjoys having a close relationship with his customers, but he said he also gets along well with his fellow workers.

“THE INTERACTIONS I HAVE WITH THE GUESTS — STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF — ARE THE BEST PARTS OF MY JOB...”

Employee and senior English major Erin Martinez said she has developed a close and playful friendship with him since beginning last year. When the job gets stressful because everyone wants their coffee at once, Martinez said Joseph always makes work more manageable.

“He’s really fun, and he’s a really good boss. He really knows what he’s doing here, and he does a good job at his work,” she said. “He makes it fun, but also really easy for you too because he’s so good at showing you how to do things the right way.

Even if you mess up, he’ll just poke fun at you a little bit. He just makes it a good time.”

Joseph said he always enjoys spending time with his employees.

He said the small things they do to make work more enjoyable are his favorite memories.

“Last year, several of my staff members dressed up for Halloween,” he said. “That was pretty fun for the staff and the guests.”

Though he worked at an Omaha location before switching to the UNL kiosk, Joseph said he can’t imagine leaving this location.

“The interactions I have with the guests — students, faculty and staff — are the best parts of my job,” he said. “Getting to chat for a little bit with people from different parts of the country and world is really rewarding.”

Joseph said he feels his job is the most valuable is at the end of the day, when he’s working until 1 a.m. and the library only has a few lingering students. No matter how tired or stressed the students are, he said it’s a great feeling to know he can brighten their spirits with a cup of coffee.

“In this environment when it’s 10 o’clock at night, 11 o’clock at night, study sessions are going on and someone comes over to get a donut, bagel or drink to keep them going all night until 2 when it’s time to go home,” Joseph said, “we can keep them running and make just a little small part of someone’s day a little lighter.”

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Photos by Hannah DePriest

DAILYNEBRASKAN. DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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Big Man, Small Town Photo by Jessie Addleman

MATT HARDESTY STAFF WRITER When Isaiah Roby committed to Nebraska in 2015, he did so because of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s proximity to his hometown of Dixon, Illinois, along with the prestige of playing for a team in the Big Ten Conference.

Three dramatic years later, he has hopes of taking over the conference.

It’s been a long road for Roby to his junior year at Nebraska. He only received offers from three major conference programs, then struggled in his freshman season. He stayed with the program at a point when many left, and his gamble paid off with a breakout sophomore year that now has him in position to be one of the top players in the Big Ten. The 6-foot-8-inch forward requested feedback from NBA scouts over the summer and adopted a more serious workout regimen with tougher competition to try to fix some of his weaknesses. Before he officially takes that next step, Roby is hoping to enjoy the fruits of his labors both on and off the court in Lincoln.

Roby’s roots Dixon is a small town of just over 15,000 people located in northern Illinois, right off I-88. It’s where Roby grew up with his four brothers and developed a personality that has been infectious in his new home at Nebraska.

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“It’s a smaller town,” Roby said. “It instilled values of hard work, dedication and loyalty in me. Small town things.”

In the slightly larger city of Rockford, an hour north of Dixon, Roby and his two biological brothers would reunite with his two stepbrothers — who lived in a different city — at their grandmother’s house almost every weekend. The five of them competed over nearly everything, and that competition only intensified once his step-brothers began playing sports at a nearby high school that rivaled his.

Despite their competitiveness, their bond helped shape Roby’s youth. He is the second oldest of the five and is the only sibling playing sports on scholarship.

“My brothers have had a huge impact on me,” Roby said. “My brothers were like my best friends.”

Roby had several drastically different options when it came time to choose a college. Along with Nebraska, Roby’s final four options were Creighton, Iowa and Georgia. But Nebraska was the only place he needed to visit.

Shortly before his junior year of high school, he committed to Tim Miles and the Huskers.

“The biggest thing for me was that I felt Nebraska was a place that I could develop well athletically and academically,” Roby said.

“They had the most resources and tools for me to get to where I want to be.”

“When I visited Nebraska, I thought it would have more of a big city feel to it. Instead, it felt like a big Dixon, to be honest. It was a good spot for me.”

Turbulent beginnings Once Roby got to college, he faced plenty of challenges. In his opinion, the toughest battle to take on was discipline.

“The toughest adjustment, both on and off the court, was the time and demands to be a student-athlete,” Roby said. “You have to be really disciplined in what you choose to do with your time. I had to get in a routine where when I wasn’t on the court, I had to be doing things that help me.”

On the court, it was a slower adjustment. As a freshman, he played just 15 minutes per game and averaged only three shots. Despite his three-point, three-rebound average, there were promising signs from the young freshman.

He had a pair of eight-rebound games against Ohio State and No. 7 Wisconsin, as well as a season-high 10 points in a loss to Michigan. For Roby, his favorite moments came early in conference play, when the Huskers started 2-0 with upset wins at Indiana and Maryland. Roby filled the stat sheet in the latter matchup, finishing with four points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.

Despite their early success, things fell apart down the road for the Huskers in 2017. They cooled off immediately after their 3-0 start in conference play, going 3-13 the rest of the way. Nebraska ended the season with five straight losses, which was only the beginning of the drama.

Shortly after the season, a mass exodus occurred from Lincoln.

Four players left the program, and the ones who stuck around had more questions than answers about what was happening next for the team.

“It was difficult,” Roby said about the 2017 transfers. “You see from the outside that people are wondering what’s going on, and on the inside people are wondering what’s going on too. Nana [Akenten] was coming in that year and was asking me why everybody was leaving and if he should even come to Nebraska. I was thinking the same thing myself.”

“A lot of those guys were my closer friends on the team,” Roby continued. “That made it hard to me. I was pretty close with all of the guys that left that year. It was kind of like losing family members, in a sense.”

With an education in business, Roby equated it to a common occurrence in the professional workplace.

“If a company loses people that have close ties, it’s going to be tough for you to stay with that company. But I’m glad that I decided to stay, and I’m having a great time now.”

The loss of significant players like Ed Morrow Jr. and Michael Jacobson stung for Roby, but one key holdover, point guard Glynn Watson Jr., helped him through the turbulence. Miles and the team also had help from newcomers, including transfers James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland and Duby Okeke, along with freshman Thomas Allen.

“Glynn and I were pretty close before, but both of us staying here brought that together even more,” Roby said. “All the guys that came in after that were really instrumental in turning Nebraska into something we want it to turn into, which is putting Nebraska on the map as a good basketball school.”

The turnaround happened faster than expected. After a slow start with a pair of mid-November losses, the Huskers upset No. 14 Minnesota in December. It set the tone for a historic season in conference play, one in which they tied the program record for conference wins with 13.

While Palmer Jr., Watson Jr. and Copeland led the way in scoring, Roby developed into an X-factor that completely flipped the switch for the team once he entered the starting lineup in January. In his first week of starting, he scored 14 points on six-of-seven shooting to help Nebraska upset the future national runner-up Michigan.

As he made more starts, his game continued to grow. After a setback in a win at Wisconsin where he finished with zero points and fouled out, he responded with a career-high 21 points in a win at Minnesota. It was the start of a streak, leading to him finishing with 10 or more points in the final eight games of the season.

Other coaches around the conference also began to take note of the sophomore’s potential.

“With them playing with Roby as a five-man, it is a nightmare for a lot of teams,” Michigan coach John Beilein said about the lineup.

“You can do a lot of things. It’s a great way to play when you have a big guy that can play on both the perimeter and inside.”

During his sophomore year, Roby averaged just under nine points and six rebounds per game and helped the Huskers go 22-11.

Despite improvements, the season still ended on a sour note. Nebraska lost by 19 to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, and, after being snubbed by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the Huskers lost in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State.

“Last year was kind of weird,” Roby said. “We didn’t start out the way we wanted to, and lost some big games early. Out of nowhere we just started playing really well, we started winning a lot of games in a row and by the end of the year, we felt we were good enough to be in the tournament.”

DAILYNEBRASKAN. DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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Constructive criticism

An impact outside of basketball

Shortly after last season, Roby underwent the NBA Draft’s initial evaluation process, where the league’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee gave him feedback on his skills and weaknesses without him having to formally declare for the draft.

In the drama-filled world of college basketball, it can be challenging for some players to focus on other vocations. For Roby, as well as the rest of the team, it comes naturally.

“It was encouraging,” Roby said about the process. “Teams liked the stuff that I have, especially height, length and athleticism. It was also encouraging because the stuff they want me to work on is all teachable, like cleaning up my offense, shot, ball-handling and strength.”

After he finished his spring semester, Roby went home to Dixon for part of the summer. Unlike previous breaks, he was all business this time. For five weeks he drove 90 minutes to Chicago to work out with trainers and other college basketball players. He had a similar regimen last summer, but it was far less frequent and several weeks shorter.

With his encouraging feedback and a strong summer of training under his belt, Roby is hoping to reach the potential many coaches and analysts have said he can achieve. Along with that goal, he understands he has a different role this season as a team leader.

“I’ve definitely always seen myself as a leader,” Roby said. “The more respect you get, the better they listen to you. That’s when your leadership skills tend to work a little better.”

After seeing how a lack of leadership doomed Nebraska’s 201617 season, Roby knows how important it is to be successful.

After all, he is a management major, and after his basketball career, he is hoping to enter a field in which he can hold a leadership position.

With the current team, he feels confident that he and the three returning seniors will be strong leaders. According to Roby, Miles has also grown to be more comfortable with the foursome’s role. Since Roby’s freshman year, he said Miles has been more responsive to what they have to say and more open to suggestions.

“We don’t have many guys from Lincoln on the team, so it’s cool to reach out to the community and meet some new people,” Roby said.

Roby has come to know more people in the Lincoln community in his spare time. The junior recently spoke at a local Kiwanis Club meeting and enjoys interacting with kids in the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

In Make-A-Wish, Roby met someone who has profoundly impacted his life, Avery Johnson. Johnson is a young girl from Nebraska who was diagnosed with leukemia, and through the program, Roby learned he was her favorite athlete.

Shortly after, he sent her a video saying her wish to go on a Disney Cruise had been granted. She was invited to a practice last year and shot hoops with him.

“When I met her, her smile and her attitude was contagious, even though she was going through such hard times.” Roby said. “But they love watching you do what you do, it’s cool to see what kind of impact you have on people’s lives.”

The last time Roby talked with Johnson’s family, her mom informed him that she is cancer-free. He said he is excited about that news, and hopes to host them at a game this season.

Roby is on the cusp of a potential breakout season for a Nebraska team that has the ability to reach heights never seen before in Lincoln. The Huskers are the only team in a major conference to never win a game in the NCAA Tournament, and everyone on the team wants that to change this year.

A large portion of the offseason spotlight in Lincoln has been pointed at the team’s three seniors, but it just might be the junior from Dixon who makes the difference in what could be a program-changing year for the Huskers.

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LUKE MULLIN STAFF WRITER When a child runs around their backyard with a football, they dream of making a game-winning play. They dream of throwing a touchdown pass, juking a defender at the goal line or catching a crucial interception to seal a game.

“It’s a really pretty city with very nice people who definitely love their football,” Jenna Pickering said. “It has that Southern feel to it, good food and the weather’s not terrible, so I think that’s kind of why we all love it.”

Kicking a clutch field goal, though? What kid dreams of kicking a 40-yard field goal to deliver the victory?

As a part of the town’s football craze, Barret Pickering eventually found his passion for the game. Originally a soccer player, he first tried football in the seventh grade based on advice from his father and hasn’t looked back since.

Barret Pickering’s friends and family have been watching him live that dream for years, all the way up to his arrival at Nebraska.

While he may have honed his skills on the football field, his love for kicking began in the backyard.

His older siblings, Jenna and Max Pickering, helped Barret cultivate an early love for sports by constantly playing with him at their family home in Hoover, Alabama.

“Growing up, he was obsessed with any sport, anything with a ball,” Jenna Pickering said. “Whenever we had free time as kids, he’d want to be outside.”

While the Pickerings were not originally from Hoover, they moved there when Barret Pickering was a toddler and have called it home ever since.

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“After freshman year, I got good enough at football where I got to go to camps and compete with people, so then I started taking it more serious, just seeing a future in football,” Pickering said.

Football has never been the only thing on Pickering’s mind, as academics have always been a priority in his life. While his older siblings attended Spain Park High School in Hoover. Pickering went to Hoover High School to participate in the school’s academically rigorous International Baccalaureate program.

He also earned a 4.0 GPA in his first semester at Nebraska and said academics were a key factor in his decision to become a Husker.

“This place does a great job of offering academic support, even for high-level classes,” Pickering said. “If you need help, they’ll find it for you.”

Currently on the roster at Troy as a long snapper, Milliron was excited by the opportunity to travel to Lincoln on Sept. 15 and reunite with his former teammate.

Gabriel Rodriguez worked closely with Pickering as a teacher and as special teams coordinator at Hoover High and recognized his dedication to academics.

“Barret was a good friend to me and others off the field,” Milliron said. “He was a very likeable guy, always joking around but knew when to take things seriously as well.”

“He was a super smart kid, academics meant more to him than football itself, and we all know how much he loves football, otherwise he wouldn’t be playing for Nebraska,” Rodriguez said.

Apart from performing well for Hoover, Pickering also attracted attention based on his performance at kicking camps led by Jamie Kohl, a nationally known kicking coach. Rodriguez said he credits Kohl for helping mold Pickering into the player he is today.

Pickering’s talent was quickly spotted at Hoover, as he was called up to the school’s varsity team as a freshman to kick during the season. Due to the solitary nature of the position, many kickers isolate themselves and let other players lead the team.

Pickering is not one of those kickers.

“Barret was the first one there in the weight room to do everything that was required of him,” Rodriguez said. “He knew that he wanted those other guys to see him leading.”

It was dedication both in the weight room and on the field that helped Barret Pickering develop his craft. According to his high school friend and long snapper Brennen Milliron, if either of them ever made a mistake during practice, they would stay afterward and continue practicing until they got it right.

Those kicking camps also served as a wake-up call for Pickering’s sister, who has only just realized the scope of her younger brother’s talents.

“I started hearing that he was ranked from a couple of kicking camps and his rankings were always really good nationally, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t just an Alabama thing, he was actually really good,” Jenna said.

When it came time to decide where to spend his college days, it came down to Vanderbilt and Nebraska for Pickering. While Nebraska was always his front-runner, an official visit to Lincoln was what truly made up his mind.

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“He felt the warmth from the coaching staff, loved the facilities and just being out there and seeing it first-hand is what truly sold him,” Jenna said.

Pickering had large shoes to fill at Nebraska, as he replaced four-year starting kicker Drew Brown. He competed with walk-on Cole Frahm for the team’s starting spot, which he ultimately earned when the team’s depth chart was released in late August. Pickering missed field goals in Nebraska’s first two games this season, but only one of his misses came within 40 yards. However, he did make six field goals in the team’s first seven games.

According to Jenna, he never takes his misses lightly and always works hard to improve his performances in the future.

“He puts tremendous pressure on himself. I remember him coming home from high school games and just beating himself up if he missed a field goal or it wasn’t his best game ever,” she said. “He definitely takes it very seriously and understands the heaviness and the weight of that position.”

Being a team’s starting kicker can bring stress and pressure, so players often look for a way to unwind. Fishing and watching movies are two ways Pickering relaxes, with golfing being his goto leisure activity.

As Pickering works through his first season at the collegiate level, he still stays in touch with his former high school coach. Before what was supposed to be Nebraska’s season opener against Akron in early September, he called Rodriguez to ask for advice.

“The only thing that we hang our hat on here at Hoover High School is to do your job, and the rest will take care of itself,” Rodriguez said. “He’s getting the chance to be out there and he’ll be ready when his time is called.”

A talented student and leader on and off the field, Pickering will play an important role for Nebraska. His sister, like most people he meets, appreciates Barret for not only being a talented kicker but a great person.

“He’s one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I know,” Jenna Pickering said. “He’s a really good kid with a good sense of humor.”

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Photos by Peyton Stoike

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TRANSITIONAL TRENDS SAMANTHA LYONS STAFF WRITER With the coldest part of the year approaching, it’s crucial that you get use out of the clothes you won’t be able to wear once it starts snowing.

Nebraska winters are brutal, but putting your favorite pieces of clothing in hibernation for the winter is tough, too.

Late November and early December mark the last time of the year when one can justify style over function when it comes to wardrobe choices, so take full advantage of it. With the weather that comes with the end of fall, it’s hard to decide what to wear when prioritizing your need to be warm without sweating on your way to class.

It’s not that you can’t wear your favorite fashion pieces during the winter, but most of the time, they are buried beneath a bulky winter coat, which suffocates your whole look. If you want to give your favorite articles of clothing one last wear before the harsh winter comes, here are six outfit ideas to help give your clothes one more breath of life.

Layer a light jacket on top of a sweater Layering is a major part of dressing when the colder months come around, and it’s an easy way to stay warm. You can get cold in just a sweater, so just pair it with a lighter jacket to brave the weather. By mixing the textures and weights of the items, you’ll get a balanced and put-together look. Go for a lighter fabric for the jacket, like an olive polyester, because a heavier fabric with a sweater can get too bulky. With this combination, you can get the best of both worlds: staying warm and looking fashionable.

Wear those heels with socks This one might seem to be a stretch, but I promise if you follow these tips, this trend will be your go-to when you’re in a hurry. First off, the socks should not be the same ones you wear with your tennis shoes. Pick some decorative socks that are mesh or maybe some with ruffles on top. It will make wearing socks with heels look intentional and chic instead of random and unstylish.

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Photos by Ann Milroy

“DON’T BE AFRAID TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE AND EXPERIMENT ONE LAST TIME THIS YEAR.” Next, make sure the socks’ colors, textures and design go with the heels you want to wear. Having your socks and shoes match is an easy way to try out the trend and see if it works for you. The socks and heels need to complement each other if you want the trend to work.

can elevate a look and make it go from casual to dressed up in seconds. Not only are they slimming when worn with jeans, they can also give you an extra layer over your pants. It is challenging to layer on the bottom without looking bulky, but this is an easy and flattering way to do so.

Put a long-sleeved T-shirt under your dress Keep the skirts, add tights Adding a basic long-sleeve T-shirt under a dress is an easy and fashionable fix. Make sure the colors go together, but this is a trend one can have fun and push the envelope with. Experiment with prints and textures of the items to make a one-of-a-kind and fashionable outfit.

Thigh-high boots over jeans

This year was the year of skirts. Having skirts in a variety of colors, styles and textures makes it that much harder to say goodbye to them when the cold comes around. You don’t have to bid farewell to your beloved skirts. Just add a layer underneath. Tights are a fun and flexible way to give an outfit an extra element while helping with the chilly weather.

Wear long coats and cardigans Layering a long cardigan or coat over a shorter shirt can make you look more chic and professional while also elongating your body.

Long coats are surely going to be seen all over the place this winter, and getting one now and layering it with a shorter and lighter top can pull together your whole outfit.

The cold and snowy winter is coming, and now is the time to wear your favorite pieces before they get hidden under a winter coat and tucked away until the flowers start blooming. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope and experiment one last time this year — it will be good for you and your closet.

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This is another trick that can help you bundle up without sacrificing your style. Thigh-high boots DAILYNEBRASKAN. DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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OPINION POINT: ‘TIS THE SEASON ALL YEAR ANA HINGORANI STAFF COLUMNIST For as long as I can remember, the Christmas season began the moment the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday. My family would get to work meticulously icing our gingerbread houses, elaborately dressing our evergreen in ornaments and slowly accumulating presents in the family room in anticipation for December 25. Another permanent Christmas fixture around my house is Mariah Carey’s chart-topping masterpiece, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” This and other Christmas songs are staples of the season.

However, they shouldn’t be limited to the weeks leading up to the holiday. Christmas music should be blasted all throughout the year because of its joyful nature as well as its versatility.

Many, if not all, of these Christmas songs include messages of joy, anticipation and winter scenery. Links between the Christmas spirit embodied by these messages and elevated levels of happiness have been found through numerous psychological studies. For example, one study conducted in a shopping mall found that customers prefer quiet Christmas music with a winter-related theme over non-Christmas tunes in a retail environment.

It is partly because of its atmospheric effect that Christmas music is so popular. Christmas is already an immensely popular holiday, and its songs carry happy memories for many people. Coupled with the joyous nature of these tunes and their positive messages, why would we rob ourselves of the opportunity to enjoy fond memories all year long?

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Additionally, it is acceptable, and definitely encouraged, to listen to Christmas music all throughout the year because Christmas melodies are not confined to any single genre.

There is a Yuletide song for every person’s music taste.

Artists from hip-hop, jazz, pop and country have had significant success in their production of Christmas music. Snoop Dogg and Anna Kendrick’s “Winter Wonderland,” Michael Bublé’s “White Christmas,” Pentatonix’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and Blake Shelton’s “Jingle Bell Rock” are just a few examples of the many different sounds of Christmas.

These artists rally around the common theme of the holiday and its messages, and in doing so bring communities of music-lovers together.

Granted, if you happen to listen to music strictly for lyrical content, Christmas music may become a bit cumbersome as the season goes on. However, it’s still possible to listen to other music throughout the year without skipping all Christmas songs in one’s library. Like any music, people should listen to what they feel like hearing at the moment, including holiday-themed songs.

After Dec. 25, the vast amounts of tinsel and garland belong back in the storage closet as the New Year’s Eve decorations take their place. But the songs about being joyful, dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh and waiting for a room full of presents from Santa Claus? I’ll listen to those all year long while I wait for Christmas to arrive again.

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COUNTERPOINT: SAVE THE CHRISTMAS MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS GRAHAM GUENETTE STAFF COLUMNIST The din of Christmas music seems to start earlier every year.

Last year, I can recall turning my radio to 104.5 FM and hearing holiday tunes as early as October. Even though I celebrate and enjoy Christmas, the tradition of playing the holiday’s music so early is absurd. The songs themselves are already repetitive; why do we have to play them for multiple months?

Christmas compilations tend to be the garbage thrown out of people’s music collections. This is evident from the discarded copies of Michael Bublé’s “Christmas” and Justin Bieber’s “Under the Mistletoe” that line the shelves of every Goodwill.

These are two fairly recent examples of something artists have been doing for the last fifty years: releasing Christmas albums in an effort to bring in a few extra dollars.

In your grandmother’s closet, you will likely find some examples of music labels exploiting the fame of artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Andy Williams for dollars through the production of holiday comilations.

The exploitation of singers has led to countless variations of the same old Christmas songs.

The melodies of these songs we’ve heard so many times have a unique ability to tug at our heart strings. It seems a majority of people have a fondness for snow, presents and hot cocoa. For those who remember waking up to presents on Christmas morning or spending quality time with family

around the fireplace, Christmas music can provide an escape to a better place. Holiday songs allow us to forget, if only for a few minutes, the stresses of jobs and classes and revel in nostalgia.

This illusion only serves to distract and is not good for anyone. Thinking in the present moment is key to getting things done in a timely manner. As the leading procrastinator of The Daily Nebraskan’s opinion section, I have a lot of experience with this. To stay focused, it’s important to try to keep thoughts away from the weekend or upcoming events and think about the things happening right now. Listening to “White Christmas” in November so that one can fantasize about unwrapping gifts in a month is little more than a corporate-fueled distraction from the important things happening today.

Refraining from turning on Christmas music too early will not only help students focus on their work but also stop labels from over-producing the same songs. By refraining from allowing nostalgia to take over our brains, we can to enjoy ourselves once Dec. 25 finally comes around, rather than being haunted by missed assignments and poor exam performances. That way the holiday can be spent enjoying traditions with family and listening to those overplayed Christmas songs on the day for which they’re intended.

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