Inaugural Governor’s Youth Summit Results in 1,900 Industry Explorations, 300+ Student Applications for Career Opportunities in Nebraska

A wealth of young talent. An abundance of rewarding careers. Nebraska is blessed with both; the challenge is building bridges between the two. Meeting that challenge was the motivation for the first-ever Governor’s Youth Summit, held in Kearney on August 14th.

“There are amazing opportunities for youth to achieve their dreams in Nebraska,” said Governor Jim Pillen. “Our job, as state leaders, is to create pathways that help students reach those dreams. That’s what this summer’s Youth Summit was all about—empowering young Nebraskans to do what they love. We want to position our kids to graduate with little to no debt, and to shape the future of our communities right here in Nebraska.”

More than 250 high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates accepted the State’s invitation to attend the Youth Summit, which was free for students. Participating youth met one-on-one with business and college leaders, gaining privileged access to internship, scholarship, and employment opportunities in Nebraska.

By setting up a profile on the CareerPathway.com app prior to the event, students could browse career opportunities in advance. This helped them prioritize connections to make during the Youth Summit. Over the course of the event, students made 1,918 industry explorations—either through personal conversations or via the app. Collectively, they filled out 309 applications for career opportunities in Nebraska.

“I made connections in the route I’m planning to take, the finance route, with FNBO and Deloitte,” said Marwan Alkhaleel, a student at Millard West High School. “My favorite thing was being able to land job shadowing opportunities at FNBO and Deloitte. Now, I get to go to those workplaces to see how they conduct business and to determine whether I see myself in that position in the future.”

Husker coach Matt Rhule kicks off the Youth Summit

Students began their day at the Youth Summit with an inspiring message from Matt Rhule, head football coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. During his remarks, coach Rhule called on leaders in Nebraska to be bold, compete as team, and dare to invest in the future of the state.

“Since I’ve come to Nebraska, the newspaper writers are a little shocked at how much we’ve invested [in the football program],” said coach Rhule. “But how can I tell young people, ‘Come give me your all, give me everything you’ve got,’ if we don’t go all in? The message we send when we invest is that we care and that we believe.”

Following his keynote, coach Rhule was joined by current Cornhuskers—and Nebraska natives—Derek Branch (Lincoln), Heinrich Haarberg (Kearney), Carter Nelson (Ainsworth), and Luke Lindenmeyer (Papillion) for a special session of the Youth Summit. Speaking to student attendees, the Husker football players shared why they’ve chosen to spend their college careers in Nebraska.

Statewide support empowers Nebraska youth

Students also had the opportunity to take part in an interactive session to discuss post-high school pathways in Nebraska. Panelists for the session included representatives from the Nebraska Department of Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Central Community College, the Nebraska Community Foundation, Aulick Industries in Scottsbluff, and Deloitte in Omaha.

Thirty-seven organizations sponsored the Youth Summit. Along with providing financial support, sponsors participated directly in the event, offering career opportunities to students.

“The Youth Summit was a fantastic, energetic environment where we could connect with students and give them exposure to the professional services industry—and to who we are as a company,” said Jeff Harrison, senior manager for Deloitte in Omaha. “The students certainly exceeded expectations. From a career navigation perspective, they were asking good questions to learn as much as possible about our firm and, more importantly, about our industry.”

On behalf of the Governor’s Office, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) organized the Youth Summit in collaboration with CareerPathway.com. DED would like to recognize and thank the many generous sponsors of the Youth Summit (listed below). The agency would also like to thank Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), Barrientos Scholarship Foundation, and the many other schools and youth organizations who brought students to the Youth Summit.

Interested in participating in the 2026 Governor’s Summit? Contact Hannah Smallhouse (Hannah.Smallhouse@nebraska.gov) for more information.

2025 Governor’s Youth Summit – Sponsoring Organizations

• 21^st Century Equipment, Silver Level Sponsor
• Associated General Contractors (AGC Nebraska), Gold Level Sponsor
• AKRS Equipment, Gold Level Sponsor
• American Institute of Architects, Silver Level Sponsor
• Bryan College of Health Sciences, Silver Level Sponsor
• Bryan Health, Silver Level Sponsor
• CareerPathway.com, Platinum Level Sponsor
• Carson Group, Gold Level Sponsor
• Collins Aerospace, Gold Level Sponsor
• Deloitte, Gold Level Sponsor
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Gold Level Sponsor
• Elevate Apprenticeships of Nebraska, Gold Level Sponsor
• Farm Credit Services, Silver Level Sponsor
• Farmers Cooperative, Silver Level Sponsor
• FNBO, Gold Level Sponsor
• Kawasaki, Gold Level Sponsor
• Klute, Silver Level Sponsor
• Landmark Implement, Gold Level Sponsor
• Lindsay Corporation, Silver Level Sponsor
• NEBCO, Gold Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Army National Guard, Gold Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Bankers Association, Gold Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Silver Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Gold Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Methodist College, Silver Level Sponsor
• Nebraska Wesleyan University, Gold Level Sponsor
• Nelnet, Silver Level Sponsor
• Olsson, Silver Level Sponsor
• Peter Kiewit Institute, Gold Level Sponsor
• Remboldt Ludtke, Silver Level Sponsor
• Safe at Home Sidney, Gold Level Sponsor
• Sandhills Global, Gold Level Sponsor
• Southeast Community College, Gold Level Sponsor
• Southeast Community College – Apprenticeships Program, Silver Level Sponsor
• Titan Machinery, Gold Level Sponsor
• University of Nebraska System (shared sponsorship among UNK, UNL, and UNO), Gold Level Sponsor
• University of Nebraska Medical Center – High School Alliance, Gold Level Sponsor