Allison Devney Earns Board of Regents KUDOS Award

The Nebraska Board of Regents recently present a KUDOS Award to Allison “Alli” Devney (nee Nazorek), an academic and career coach for the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Success Academies, at their most recent meeting on Thursday, June 23.

Serving as a support system for first-year UNO students in the Success Academies learning community, Alli helps navigate students through challenges they are facing; works with them to set academic and professional goals; and connects them with campus resources.

Her nominator states: “She cares whole-heartedly about each student she works with and goes above and beyond to try to help them develop the tools they need to be successful. Students often remark about how Alli is a supportive and positive person for them during their time at UNO.”

As a former first-generation student herself, Alli is not just an advisor but a mentor for students who are the first in their families to pursue a four-year degree.

“Alli understands the unique and diverse needs of this student population and strives to create a welcoming environment that is conducive to the success of all the students that she works with,” her nominator said.

Alli has also gone above and beyond to keep students engaged despite modes of delivery for resources changing during COVID. She recently partnered with UNO’s Academic and Career Development Center to offer a series of workshops in person and remotely.

“[The workshops] have been an excellent opportunity to engage with students outside of class and support their development as students,” her nominator reports.

For all these reasons, and her commitment to being not just a mentor, but a friend, to students in need of help, Alli exemplifies the kind of excellence, engagement, and inclusion that makes UNO and the University of Nebraska system so special.