The Undergraduate and Graduate Student Advisory Boards serve as liaisons between students and the college deans, faculty and staff. The role of this board is to provide the student perspective regarding curriculum, college climate, and issues affecting students. SAB members are invited to serve on college committees and review the Hixson-Lied student grants.
Eligibility
The FPA Student Advisory Boards seek hard-working, responsible individuals who are interested in both the wellbeing of the college and enhancing students’ experience.
Requirements for consideration are:
1) Must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.
2) Student is in good standing Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and the University of Nebraska.
Membership
Undergraduates
The undergraduate board (USAB) consists of 13 member students, four (4) students each from the School of Art and Art History & Design, the Glenn Korff School of Music and the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, and the College ASUN Representative.
Members are selected during the spring semester to fill vacancies. Interested students should complete the application below. New members will be invited to attend the April meeting SAB meeting, but their official role begins in August. Undergraduates who are accepted and stay in good standing with the board are members until their graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln OR until they choose to terminate membership.
USAB typically meets the last Friday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the Woods Art Building.
Undergraduate SAB Application Form
Graduate Students
The graduate board (GSAB) consists of 6 students, two (2) students each from the School of Art and Art History & Design, the Glenn Korff School of Music and the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Members are nominated by the school director or designee and typically serve a two-year term. New members will be invited to attend the April meeting SAB meeting, but their official role begins in August.
GSAB typically meets the last Thursday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the Woods Art Building.
Questions? Please contact Emily Griffin Overocker.
Undergraduate Board Members
School of Art, Art History & Design
Landon Johnson
Hello! My name is Landon Johnson, and I was born and raised in Shickley, Nebraska. I am currently a freshman here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working to earn a BFA in Graphic Design. I fell in love with designing during my junior and senior years of high school and have loved it ever since. Not only do I enjoy designing, but I also enjoy acting and theatre. Acting has always been a huge interest of mine, and I hope to continue it here in the future. I am excited about the many new opportunities and experiences I will gain here, and I am honored to be a member of the Student Advisory Board!
Yasmine Merida
Hello! My name is Yasmine Merida. I was born in Grand Island, Nebraska, but raised in Lincoln. I am a graphic design major, and I am very passionate about the arts. As soon as I learned how to write, I began drawing and doodling on any piece of paper I could find. I enjoy painting, photography and design and have taken an interest in tattooing. A few things I like to do are listen to music, read, write poetry and go on nature walks. I am honored to serve on the Student Advisory Board and to represent my fellow classmates.
Istar Quintero
Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Istar is currently a Bachelor of Fine Arts student with a photography emphasis in the School of Art, Art History & Design. Her special interest is to transform photographs into three-dimensional sculptures. Playing with kinesthetics and optical illusions, her ideas are concerned with the intangible nuances of childhood and adulthood. Her awards and honors include a Digital Photography Student Award at Lincoln High School and nominations for the Undergraduate Elgas Promise Award and the Howard & Vreeland Award in the School of Art, Art History & Design. Through volunteering, participating in the UNL Photo Club, serving on the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Student Advisory Board, and working at the Sheldon Museum of Art and Lux Center for the Arts, Istar is an active member in Lincoln’s art community. Her future goals include making art accessible to immigrants and refugee communities in Lincoln.
Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
Jacob Jeng
Hello, I'm Jacob Jeng, and I'm currently a sophomore emerging media arts major from Leawood, Kansas. I am dedicated to film, in general, but mostly within the post-production, motion graphics, and animation side of film. Film and animation has always been fascinating to me as it is a medium where possibilities are boundless and every single person can use it to express themselves and what makes them special. It has always been my goal to use art and creativity as a medium to change the world, no matter how big or small the impact is. And I want to push myself to keep improving to share my own and everyone else's stories better and better. I hope to be a part of bringing everyone's dreams and aspirations into reality and help make everyone's college experience and beyond the best it can possibly be. I am excited to accomplish this serving as a part of the Student Advisory Board to ensure the best environment for everyone in the UNL Community.
Kaitlin Myrant
Originally from the Chicago suburb of Mundelein, Illinois, Katie is a first-generation student in their sophomore year at UNL. They are pursuing the Theatre Arts BA at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, as well as minors in musical theatre and advertising and public relations. As someone who’s been pursuing the arts for well over a decade, they have dedicated themself to performance in acting and singing. In addition to serving as the publicity liaison on the representative board, they are the assistant managing director for Theatrix and a college ambassador advocate for their high school. Their intent is to be the voice for not only the students in their program, but for those allowing their art to inspire their own life.
Glenn Korff School of Music
Tori Cocannouer
Tori is a junior music education major with an emphasis in voice from Wichita, Kansas. Here in the Glenn Korff School of Music, she is involved with the University Singers, the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. Some of her other involvement includes Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority, ASUN, New Student Enrollment, and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. She is very passionate about advocating for the arts in schools and wants to continue her work with issues similar to these in her future career. She is currently planning on teaching secondary choral music, but wants to explore other areas such as film composition and administration later. She cannot wait to continue working with the advisory board to create the best environment possible for all students in FPA.
Ealynn Hsu
Ealynn Hsu is a junior music and computer science major in the Glenn Korff School of Music and Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. She is currently involved in Initialize UNL, a computer science volunteer organization on campus. In high school, Ealynn was a member of Lincoln East's Varsity Orchestra and the Lincoln Youth Symphony as a pianist and violinist. She hopes to explore the intersection between the arts and technology throughout her time in college and is excited to work as a member of the Student Advisory Board and help make sure every student's voice is heard.
Jaedyn Powers
Jaedyn Powers is currently a junior dance major from Omaha, Nebraska. She is grateful to pursue her passion for dance in the Glenn Korff School of Music after studying at the American Midwest Ballet School throughout her middle-school and high school years. At Nebraska, Jaedyn is also pursuing an exercise degree to further develop her knowledge of the mind-body connection. Jaedyn is excited to help represent the dance program and make a difference for the arts in Lincoln.
Graduate Board Members
School of Art, Art History & Design
Brian Garbrecht
Brian Garbrecht is a multidisciplinary artist and second-year graduate student in the School of Art, Art History & Design. In 2022 he received his BFA from Northeastern Illinois University. Brian's current work mixes video, photography, sound, archives, and installation to explore the ideas of memory, popular media, and identity.
Charlotte Middleton
Charlotte Middleton is a ceramic artist from southern Maine. Through her porcelain pottery, which includes containers, vases, cups and jars, Middleton arranges narratives outlining the relationships between women, pottery and still life. She has garnered numerous fellowships and awards, and she has held residencies at prestigious institutions including Watershed, Haystack and the University of Georgia's Cortona campus in Italy. She apprenticed with Ellen Shankin, in Floyd, Virginia, for two and a half years, where she learned what it takes to be a potter. Her work and insights have been featured in prominent publications such as Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated.
Middleton holds a BFA in sculpture and education from Wharton College in Massachusetts. Currently, she is advancing her studies as a third-year MFA candidate in ceramics at Nebraska.
Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
Dean Bressler
Dean Bressler is a second-year Master of Fine Arts candidate in lighting design in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. He is deeply invested in mentoring and inspiring the next generation of theatre students, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for the craft. Whether behind the scenes or in the classroom, he strives to create experiences that elevate the art form and foster a collaborative, innovative environment for his peers and students alike.
Abigail Couger
Abigail Couger is a first-year Scenic Design MFA candidate in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She is passionate about creating theatrical worlds that suspend disbelief and fully immerse audience members into the story of each production she works on. She earned her BFA in Production Design concentrating in Set Design and Art Direction from Savannah College of Art and Design.
Glenn Korff School of Music
Ellie Johnson
Elizabeth (Ellie) Johnson has been a music educator in Nebraska since 2015. She received her B.A. in vocal music education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and her M.M. in music education from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Ellie has her Orff Level 1 and 2 certifications through UNL and is eager to pursue further certification to complete Orff and Kodaly training through Nebraska universities. In her time teaching in the public school system, Ellie has worked primarily with middle school students in both general music and choral settings. She has directed youth musical theater productions, provided small group and solo instruction, and directed and choreographed competitive show choir. Ellie has been a staff member at SNJ Studios in Millard, and sings as a mezzo with Omaha's professional chorus, Resonance, under the direction of Barron Breland and in frequent collaboration with the Omaha Symphony. She previously served as soprano/alto section leader and librarian for Resonance. Ellie is excited to continue her work at UNL as a Ph.D. student focusing on music education and is pursuing research related to the undergraduate aural skills experience.
Evan LeBouef
Evan LeBouef is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Jazz Studies with an emphasis in Jazz Composition in the Glenn Korff School of Music. A native of Texas, Evan's musical journey began in high school, where he arranged for his school band and composed for his own rock and jazz groups. He earned both a B.A. and M.M. in Music from Lamar University, as well as a Professional Certificate in Jazz Composition and Arranging from Berklee College of Music.
Evan works closely with UNL’s composition and jazz faculty and regularly travels across the country to conduct clinics and collaborate with jazz ensembles and programs of all levels. His research interests include the influence of guitar effect pedals on popular music and the effective orchestration of diverse musical genres within the jazz idiom.