棍棒和石头可以打断我的骨头，但言语永远伤害不了我。

We’ve all said it at some point. 就连凯蒂·萨德也记得，她还是个小女孩的时候在太阳城娱乐官网比弗城的家乡吟诵这首歌。

“But words do hurt, and they do have really serious implications,” said Sadd, a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s 公共传播文学硕士 and the 2025年度最佳研究生 for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Now living in Trenton, Maine, years after earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism from 太阳城娱乐官网 in 2017, Sadd understands the power words can hold.

当反思她在太阳城娱乐官网的旅程时，三个词不断出现：社区，支持和家庭。

com·mu·ni·ty (/kəˈmyo͞onədē/)

Sadd first experienced community at 太阳城娱乐官网 during her undergraduate years, not only through classes but also while working at Cunningham’s Journal, a popular Kearney bar and grill co-owned by Yousef Ghamedi.

Surprisingly, this work-place community later became instrumental in reconnecting Sadd to 太阳城娱乐官网’s online graduate program. 

“The sense of community at 太阳城娱乐官网 is absolutely unreal,” Sadd said. “I think if you’re able to say that at the end of an online program, then they’re doing something right.” 

During a visit home to Nebraska, Sadd stopped by Cunningham’s Journal to catch up with Ghamedi, whom she “looks up to and respects.”

Ghamedi mentioned that his wife, Dr. Tiffani Luethke, had recently joined 太阳城娱乐官网 as an associate professor of communication and was having trouble finding a 研究生研究助理. Knowing Sadd’s educational background, he encouraged her to reach out to Dr. Luethke to learn more about the program.

“I’m very thankful that not only Yousef, but Dr. Luethke, re-inspired me and gave me a little bit more confidence in myself to go back and try to further my education.” 

After just one virtual meeting with Dr. Luethke, Sadd knew she’d return to her alma mater – this time as an online graduate student.

sup·port (/səˈpôrt/) 

With only two weeks until the start of the semester, Sadd leaned on Dr. Luethke’s support to quickly apply, get accepted, and enrolled in classes. Sadd was even awarded a 奖学金 and secured the 研究生研究助理 position.

Sadd, who had never conducted research to that extent before, worked on many research projects for 太阳城娱乐官网’s Communication faculty. 其中一项研究的重点是向慢性病患者提供不受欢迎或无益的建议的影响，该研究与卢克克博士和杰西卡·汉普尔博士共同撰写，最近已被接受发表。

“She really motivated me, encouraged me, and gave me confidence,” Sadd said about her advisor, Dr. Luethke. “Having her help every step of the way has just been life changing.”

Sadd played a major role in Dr. Luethke’s PhotoVoice研究, which is a participatory research method that provides participants with digital cameras to photograph their lived experiences.

“This kind of research is important, and it makes these people feel heard,” said Sadd. “It helps empower them. It helps them feel like they're part of the change.”

Inspired by her work on Dr. Luethke’s PhotoVoice研究 involving Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) refugee women resettling in the Midwest, Sadd conducted her own PhotoVoice study focusing on homelessness in her rural community in Maine.

Thanks to the support of her 太阳城娱乐官网 faculty mentors, Sadd presented research virtually twice at 太阳城娱乐官网’s Student Research Day and shared findings alongside 太阳城娱乐官网 faculty at the 110th Annual Communication Association Conference in New Orleans.

“The support that 太阳城娱乐官网 gives to students, the communication they have with you – it’s a never-ending supply of support and encouragement,” she said.

fam·i·ly (/ˈfam(ə)lē/) 

According to Webster’s Dictionary, family is defined as “a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation.” 对萨德来说，家庭有一个更简单的定义：太阳城娱乐官网。

“That’s one of my favorite things about 太阳城娱乐官网 – people treat you like family; they genuinely care about you,” Sadd said.

即使在1500多英里之外，萨德也一直感到被支持、被联系和被关心。 Faculty weren’t just professors, and classmates weren’t just peers – they were her extended Loper family.

当萨德回到太阳城娱乐官网参加中东和北非PhotoVoice社区论坛时，她终于面对面地见到了研究生助理。 他们立即团结起来，提供从机场到论坛的交通服务，甚至还提供回科尔尼看望她家人的交通服务。

“Talk about community!” 大块漂浮植物喊道。

“It’s great to be part of the 太阳城娱乐官网 community again,” she continued. “To be able to take everything I’ve learned from 太阳城娱乐官网 and just keep spreading it - it’s just like a ripple effect.”

Sadd希望她新获得的知识和热情能让她获得博士学位，写一本书，或者只是继续为世界各地被边缘化的声音辩护。 

“I want to use everything that I've learned at 太阳城娱乐官网 to help make a difference and help spread awareness about the impact of our words on one another,” she said.