Contact Union

402.486.2600
ucinfo@ucollege.edu

3800 S. 48th St.
Lincoln, NE 68506 USA

Enrollment Services

402.486.2504
enroll@ucollege.edu
Admissions homepage

Alumni/Giving

402.486.2503
alumni@ucollege.edu
Advancement homepage

Personnel directory
×
×

background trapezoid Union College Union College | Finding purpose. Unlocking potential.
Union College – Experience the Spirit

About
  • About Union College
    • About Seventh-day Adventists
    • Accreditation
    • College Symbols
    • Consumer Information
    • Employment
    • Employee Resources (login)
    • Mission and Vision
  • Connect with Union
    • News from Union College
    • Contact Us

  • College Leadership
    • Board of Trustees
    • Employee Directory
  • Lincoln, Nebraska, a great place to learn
    • things to do |
    • places to eat |
    • where to stay


Thumbnail of an illustration of campus. Campus map
  • Google Maps
  • Map with accessibility features
Academics
  • Majors and programs
  • Workforce development certificates
  • Academic Support
    • Computer labs
    • Library
    • Records Office
    • Studio for Writing and Speaking
  • Information and resources
    • Academic bulletin
    • Academic calendar
    • Canvas
    • Class schedules
    • Final exam schedules
    • Accommodations and accessibility
    • Graduation information
    • Transcript request
  • Student Success
    • Academic and life coaching
    • Disability information and access
    • Career services
    • Tutoring
  • Professional Excellence Program
  • Adventist Colleges Abroad
Alumni
Stay connected to Union
    • Join us for Homecoming!
      • April 13-16, 2023
    • News from Union College
    • Read CORDmagazine
    • Watch live events
    • Find event photos on Facebook
    • Update your info and share news
    • Read Pastor David Kabanje's daily devotionals
  • Advancement Office
  • Ways to give
    • Give online
    • Planned giving
    • More giving opportunities
  • Request transcripts
    (via Parchment)
  • Explore our history
    • Clocktower archive (1927-2010)
    • Educational Messenger (1905-1926)
    • Library photo collections
Campus Life
  • Student Life Office
    • About the Student Life Office
    • Residence Halls
    • Campus apartments
    • Find clubs on uGroups

  • Athletics
    • Varsity calendar
    • High school tournaments
  • Campus Ministries
    • Upcoming events
    • Good Morning Union
    • International Volunteers and Taskforce
    • Project Impact
    • Watch worship services on uTV
  • Services for campus
    • Campus Health
    • Campus Safety
    • Campus Store
    • Information Systems
    • Integrated Marketing Communications
    • Library
    • Student Employment
    • Plant Services
    • Accessibility Services
    • Union Market
Community
  • Services for our community
    • George Stone Elementary School
    • Guest Services at the Ortner Center
      • Guest rooms
      • Meeting spaces
      • Reservations
    • Union Market Dining Services
  •  
    • Larson Lifestyle Center
      • Become a member
      • Facility rental and parties
      • Swimming lessons
    • Library
      • Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society
  • Events for our community
    • Athletics
      • Athletic calendar
    • Arts and performance calendar
Parents
  • Prospective parent links
    • Why Union students succeed
    • Finding a calling: read examples
    • Financing a Christian education
      • Scholarships and financial aid
      • Tuition
      • Financial FAQ
      • Financial checklist
      • Financial aid forms
      • Contact Student Financial Services
    • Help plan a campus visit
    • Learn about Lincoln, Nebraska
  • Current parent links
    • Services for parents
      • Order a Party Pack
      • Order LifeSavors
      • Make a payment online
    • Events
      • Parents Weekend (Sept. 23-25, 2022)
      • Graduation (May 5-7, 2023)
      • Watch uTV
      • See photos on Facebook
Thumbnail of the Boones. Watch: parents share how Union helped their daughter find her calling.
Thumbnail of Pastor Rich Carlson. Watch: the 5 biggest decisions in life.
Prospective Students
  • Admissions Office
    • Apply online
    • Union's guarantee
    • Plan your campus visit

  • Financial information
    • Scholarships
    • Grants and loans
    • Costs
    • Financial FAQ
    • Net price calculator
    • Financial aid forms
    • Student Financial Services
  • Learn more about Union
    • Academic and life coaching
    • Residence Halls
    • See our majors and programs
    • Interactive campus map
    • Follow us on Instagram

  • Checklists
    • After you're accepted
    • Financial clearance
    • International students
    • Transfer students
Thumbnail of Mary with play button. Union inspired Mary to excel in nursing and gain spiritual confidence.
Thumbnail of Joslyn with a play button. When a letter arrived from a little Nebraska college, Joslyn heard God calling.
July 21, 2021

Union students: The next generation of entrepreneurs

“I’ve learned that running a business is a lot harder than it seems. But stuff I knew about woodworking helped me understand my classes better,” Joseph Peden said. After high school, he had no intention of going to college and decided to take time to develop his skills in woodworking. He later came to Union to learn to be a gateway between the older generation of woodworkers and technology. 

A computer science major turned business major, Peden has been woodworking since his teens. He started out making high quality cutting boards, furniture, and wooden bowls.  But he discovered that he didn’t have storage space for much inventory. Now Peden runs a small business, Jojorokenbok, creating unique pens handcrafted right here at Union. “It’s good to get away from the classroom and do something with my hands,” he said.

Peden has used his small business as a live example of his coursework in a few of his classes. In Business Management, he and his team excelled and won the in-class business simulation competition by charging a low price for high quality. Peden and other Union students like him have taken the initiative to engage in online entrepreneurship while earning a college degree.

RacingDownMainStreet is a Disney-themed Etsy store run by another student, Hannah Drewieck. She sells unique Mickey Mouse ears made by hand, snatched up by people planning trips to any of Disney’s parks. Drewieck is a double major in business and communication, and she has been able to use her store as a learning tool. “My accounting skills have grown. And last semester, I did a project on changing consumer behavior,” she said. “I applied real strategies to my Etsy store that I learned in class.”

Drewieck also learned to personalize her Mickey ear enthusiasts’ experiences with her products. “I love writing a short, sweet note to include in each package,” she said. She takes pride in her products, ensuring high quality for every pair of mouse ears she sells. Currently, Drewieck is happy with the store as a side hustle, but she thinks it could turn into something more long-term. “I definitely have the business mindset and could see myself operating my own business full time. I really enjoy it.”

Rachel Torres, a graphic design major, and 2018 business graduate Senga Rutebuka partnered up to create Unknown, a store selling streetwear, from t-shirts to bandanas. “We eventually want to get our shirts into small stores, just to get it out there,” Torres said. She works hard to be original and create good clothing designs. “I like to be challenged. I enjoy negative feedback because I want to know what’s going to help me grow as a graphic designer.”

When Torres came to Union, she had a deep interest in photography. Since Union didn’t offer a photography major, Bruce Forbes recommended she try out graphic design. “I wasn’t really sure about it, but I caught an interest in it,” she said. Her professors, especially Alan Orrison, push her to excel in the program. “It makes a huge impact on my designs. You really have to think about how other people are going to look at what you’ve made.” In addition to working clothing design, Torres also manages the site’s web design and currently has the site under construction.

Summer Nguyen, a 2021 Union College PA graduate, started her online business, EvenTent, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when cotton masks were hard to find. “I posted my masks on eBay, and within a matter of minutes the first 25 masks were gone,” she said. The business grew until she graduated in May—with her graduating class wearing her customized masks.

The PA program recommends that students avoid holding jobs to focus on their schoolwork, and Nguyen discovered why. Her business selling her own handmade masks was so successful, she struggled to balance the orders to be filled with the weekly rigors of her program. When the demand for masks became too much for Nguyen, her fiancé, and her little brother to fill, she sent her design to her family in Vietnam and worked with them to get the orders filled.

Now Nguyen sources EvenTent’s items from small businesses in rural Vietnam. Her merchandise includes handmade craft items such as coconut bowls, cross-back Japanese-style aprons, and EvenTent’s signature customizable masks. And after being in operation for a little over a year, the store already has over 7,800 sales and five stars on Etsy. “I’m glad that I did what I did, because it’s a step forward to something bigger and to trust in myself,” Nguyen said. “I couldn’t believe that I could do that much until I did it.”

by Maria Kercher, senior communication major

Media contact

Ryan Teller
Director of Public Relations
402.486.2600 ext. 2272
ryan.teller@ucollege.edu

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

 

Footer – About/Contact

Finding Purpose.
Unlocking Potential.

Union College is an accredited, Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher learning in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1891.

  • Learn about Union College
  • Website privacy policy
  • Non-discrimination policy

Contact us

ucinfo@ucollege.edu | 402.486.2600
3800 South 48th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68506 USA

Footer – Campus systems

Calendars

  • Events
  • Academic and class schedule.

Directories

  • Employees
  • Students (login required)

Employment

  • Openings

Consumer information

Footer – Campus systems 2

Portal

Register for classes, see grades, make a payment and more.

uGroups

Connect and communicate with campus.

Canvas

Participate in classes online.

Library

Footer – Column 4

 

Apply

$

Affordability

Academic Programs

 

Get directions

Ranked top tier by US News
 
News ...
  • News from Union College
  • Biloffs honored with President's Award
  • Ruben Garcia: doing it all
  • Whitmore joins enrollment team
  • Honor society inducts Union students and staff
  • Lilly Lauina: a compassion for children
  • Castro couldn't break our pizza man
  • Megan Johnson: unlocking leadership skills
  • Daniel Klein: discovering a passion for dentistry
  • Pierce's Beast and the Bible is a revelation
  • Union launching three new graduate programs
  • Choral ReUnion: old friends, new music and new memories
  • Student Success brings Bollinger home
  • Home
  • About Union College
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Advancement Office
  • Campus Ministries
  • Campus Services
  • Services for Parents
  • Student Life
  • Student Success