Concordia Nebraska alumni create flooding disaster resources for children

Michelle Ann Peterson ’23 and Kayla Kisker ’24 used a final class project in a Concordia Nebraska children’s literature course as an opportunity to create something to benefit children in the Seward community and beyond. 

“Kayla and I were in a very small children's literature course with Dr. Lisa Ashby,” explained Peterson. “Part of our final project for the course was to research how children were prepared for disasters through the literature written for them.” 

Peterson and Kisker read five children's books about disaster response and analyzed how they educated children on these events. This included looking at what reading level the materials were written for, how they held the children's interest, what language they used to refer to disasters, what advice they gave the children for preparing for disasters.  

“We then took this research and created two sets of materials for each children's book,” said Peterson. “One packet was for the children reading the book, which checked for their understanding of disasters and asked them to apply their learning through various activities such as creating personal response plans and developing empathy skills for those impacted by disasters. The other packet was for adults, which included materials for teaching the book and for leading discussions about disaster response. The project spanned about four weeks and was a largely collaborative process between Kayla and myself.” 

My favorite thing about my Concordia experience was how the big picture was always service. No matter which degree program or project I was doing, the ultimate ‘why’ was always how I could serve other people through my education and experience.

“Dr. Ashby encouraged us to think about creative and engaging ways we could address natural disasters and trauma with students, and she instructed us to create two guides for each book we were assigned,” added Kisker. “One guide is intended for the adult or educator, while the other is intended for the child or student. I created four guides in total, as I was assigned two books: ‘A Terrible Thing Happened’ by Margaret M. Holmes and ‘Once I Was Very, Very Scared’ by Chandra Ghosh Ippen. My guides included storytelling prompts, coloring pages, and word searches. Dr. Ashby initiated the process of sharing our guides with educators.” 

Ashby said that the reading guides and books are currently being deployed to Head Start early childhood educators across Nebraska in response to recent flooding that has impacted a great part of the state. At least 70 educators will be using the guides created by Peterson and Kisker. Materials are also available by contacting Ashby directly. 

Peterson has a bachelor of arts in English and music from the university. Her parents – Klint Peterson ‘93 and Kelly (Walz) Peterson ‘93 – attended the university as well. Her mother's uncle is Orville Walz, former president of the university.  

“My favorite thing about my Concordia experience was how the big picture was always service,” she said. “No matter which degree program or project I was doing, the ultimate ‘why’ was always how I could serve other people through my education and experience.” 

She said one thing that stand out about Concordia Nebraska is the strong Christian community and family-like atmosphere of the campus. 

After graduation, Peterson tutored elementary English, took an internship in editing for social media marketing, then enrolled in the paralegal studies program at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and was accepted to the paralegal internship at Union Pacific. She currently works as a paralegal intern at Union Pacific performing legal support tasks across the law department. 

“I am beyond grateful for everything my professors did for me, in both the English department and the Music department. Even though I couldn't see where my future would take me, my professors constantly encouraged me and challenged me to not sell myself short by pursuing every opportunity available to me, even if I didn't feel qualified,” she said. “Concordia was crucial in fostering my faith, especially in the difficult transition between the educational and professional worlds. In the transition to such an un-centered world, my experience at Concordia has allowed my faith to remain firmly rooted in Christ.” 

When she’s not working, you’ll find Peterson playing piano, reading or trying her hand at creative writing. 

Kisker has a bachelor of arts in English and a minor in music from the university. She first learned about Concordia Nebraska through the university’s Musical Arts Day. She plays the French horn. 

“My favorite thing about Concordia Nebraska was definitely the people,” she said. “I loved being in fellowship with other Christians my age, spending time with my incredible friends and roommates, and being involved in the Wind Symphony. I was continually amazed by the way professors approached my talents and abilities with curiosity and openness. I loved having personal conversations about my writing with them, as they impacted my understanding of the value of this very versatile form of communication.” 

She added that the Christ-focused atmosphere at the university is quite remarkable. 

“Concordia is a very worshipful place, and it was such a blessing to be in that mindset while being a student,” she said. 

Kisker loves creative writing, baking, spending time with friends and family and making music. She is currently seeking a role in editing or copywriting. 

An English degree from Concordia University, Nebraska helps students develop writing, editing, problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and other skills in a Christian, collaborative environment, while cultivating independent thought and responsible leadership to help them serve, no matter their chosen vocation.