Nebraska
Lexi Rodriguez Focuses on Supporting, Inspiring Next Generation with Pair of Ventures
Less than a year after helping Nebraska reach another national semifinal, former Husker Lexi Rodriguez is as busy as ever.
Besides gearing up for her second professional season with LOVB Nebraska and Major League Volleyball, Rodriguez has launched a pair of ventures that aim to both inspire and support young girls. I sat down with Rodriguez to learn about these new projects and why she is so passionate about them.
“Part of my why is to impact authentically,” Rodriguez said. “I am very true to that. I want to continue to do that for wherever and however long I play. I don’t want to stop, and I want to be able to continue to inspire and motivate the next generation, or just people in general, of all ages.
“We obviously at SheSports want to continue to grow it and hopefully get this app kind of nationwide and be able to provide these resources to kids around the country.”
SheSports is a new app designed to build confidence and community among girls ages 8–18 by connecting them with female collegiate athletes. Rodriguez co-founded the project and is working with a number of the top athletes from Nebraska, Omaha, and Creighton, including Maisie Boesiger, Gena Jorgenson, Britt Prince, Reese Snowden, Kayla Starr, Jasmyn Brown, Sarah Galligan, Cora Olsen, Ava Martin, and Kendal Radke.
In this new age of college athletics, those athletes are being compensated for their contributions through name, image, likeness (NIL).
“They just have to provide content to these young women, young girls who are kind of on the other side of it,” Rodriguez said. “And in exchange, we pay them, we give them money that they are so well deserving of. All they have to do is go on the platform, and they have the free range to create what they want, providing whatever kind of content they want. It’s their space.
“That’s the unique part about it; they have this safe space to be vulnerable and talk about things that maybe they want to talk about anywhere else.”
The app gives a space away from traditional social media for girls to ask college athletes questions about confidence, performance pressure, training, academics, and personal growth. Athletes respond with honest insight through video and written posts. The platform also includes a compliments section and guidance from mental-health and sports-psychology experts at Embark Counseling and Focus Therapy & Sports Performance Coaching.
“I think that social media, and I’m at fault of this too, but I think it’s one of the biggest contributors to self-doubt and negative thoughts and all of this,” Rodriguez said. “Which is part of the reason why we wanted to create a safe and positive empowering platform where it’s not about comparison or anything like that.”
Rodriguez and SheSports are tackling the growing issue of mental health among young girls. A big part of those growing issues comes from traditional social media.
“It’s really sad because social media and TikTok and Instagram, they can be great. They can be fun. They can provide connectivity, but it is also just a place that has a lot of hate and comparison and negativity,” Rodriguez said. “I think that’s kind of the biggest motivator for us is how can we provide a space where these girls can go to feel confident and we can help uplift them.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53% of high school students reported mental-health impacts. That’s something Rodriguez dealt with at Nebraska, even with all of the resources afforded to Husker athletes.
“Even at the highest programs, you can have all these resources, and it’s still hard to get some of those answers to these questions of what do I do? Why is this happening? For me, the only people I could really go to was my family, just because they knew me from the inside to the out. They knew, and they had been along with me every step of the journey, so they knew exactly what I was going through and what I was feeling,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is hopeful to bring that same feeling of security to SheSports, where others can have that same support system with relatable college athletes.
“What I hope we are able to provide is that people can actually come here and get honest and open feedback, and they can relate to it and actually find it is useful,” Rodriguez said. “Because there’s so many social media platforms that provide things, and it’s like, yeah, that’s fun. You get to see their personality, and maybe you won’t get that side of things here, but I feel like you’re going to get a lot more that’s kind of worth more.”
Back to the why for Rodriguez. She’s been searching for that with her professional volleyball team, but also examining that since her time at Nebraska ended and she had to figure out who she was more away from the court after being a college athlete and all that comes with that.
“You have the volleyball side, but then you also have, okay, what do I do outside of life? So that way, you don’t get fully consumed by just being a volleyball player,” Rodriguez said. “I think that’s part of it. This is a great opportunity. It’s something I’m passionate about, and it gives me something to take my mind off a bad serve-receive day.
“But then also, I think part of it is, after I left Nebraska, I kind of felt this, a little bit of this, like, emptiness of, well, what do I do now? What is my purpose?”
That purpose is being funneled to more than just supporting young girls. Just like her time at Nebraska and filling Memorial Stadium inspired a generation, her other venture is a new book, titled “The Big Little Dream”.
“I want people to know that no matter where you come from, the possibilities aren’t unfathomable,” Rodriguez said. ” I think a lot of people know me from my time at Nebraska, but I was just a young girl with a big dream who kind of had to start from scratch. I really want people to go for their dreams and believe in themselves.”
Her book has already sold out of its pre-order. As for the app, SheSports is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.
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The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today that it is submitting a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Healthy Choice Waiver to include candy as an ineligible purchase. Once approved, the restriction will take effect November 1, 2026.
“DHHS continues to strengthen our Healthy Choice Waiver by adding candy to the list of items ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits,” said Shannon Grotrian, Director of the Office of Economic Assistance (OEA). “This step supports healthier SNAP purchasing decisions and reflects the Department’s commitment to improving health outcomes for Nebraskans.”
The change builds on the current Healthy Choice Waiver, which already prohibits the purchase of soda and energy drinks, a policy that took effect January 1, 2026.
Excessive consumption of sugar can contribute to a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and dental decay. Research from the USDA has shown that SNAP participants have a higher prevalence of obesity than both income-eligible and higher-income nonparticipants.
That same study found that SNAP participants, on average, consume more added sugars and fewer fruits and vegetables than non-participants. Another study from the University of Minnesota found that restriction of sugary foods led to an increase in healthier purchases and a decrease in sugary food purchases.
Prior to the implementation date, educational information will be sent to SNAP participants, retailers, and community members outlining the changes. Additional information including the definition of candy, will be shared in the following weeks on the SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver webpage at https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Healthy-Choices-Waiver.aspx. This will include frequently asked questions (FAQ), information on healthy alternative purchases, and other community resources.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln expects to confer a record 3,800-plus degrees during commencement exercises May 8-9.
Pinnacle Bank Arena, 400 Pinnacle Arena Drive, will host a ceremony for students earning graduate and professional degrees, 3 p.m. May 8, and two ceremonies for those earning bachelor’s degrees, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. May 9. Doors open to the public at 1:30 p.m. May 8 and 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. May 9. A College of Law ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. May 9 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, 1600 Court St., with doors opening to the public at 1 p.m.
Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson will preside over the ceremonies. The morning undergraduate ceremony will feature graduates in the Colleges of Business, Education and Human Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Public Affairs and Community Service. The afternoon undergraduate ceremony will feature graduates in the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Architecture, Arts and Sciences, and Engineering.
DeMoine Adams, motivational speaker and former Husker football student-athlete, will deliver the keynote address, “The Power of People,” during the morning undergraduate ceremony. Nebraska Builder Awards will be given to College of Architecture alumni and university supporters Scott W. Killinger and Richard L. Youngscap during the afternoon undergraduate ceremony.
Adams is the founder and CEO of The Game Plan — Ready, Set Perform, a Lincoln-based leadership and motivational speaking business that aims to inspire people to lead with purpose and be winners in the game of life. He also recently served for five years as CEO of TeamMates Mentoring, co-founded by legendary Husker football coach Tom Osborne. A first-generation college graduate, Adams holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Master of Arts in educational psychology from Nebraska.
A native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Adams was a standout Blackshirt defensive end and helped lead the Huskers to a Big 12 championship and national championship Rose Bowl appearance. He also earned Academic All-American and All-Big 12 honors. He went on to play professionally in the National, Canadian and Arena football leagues.
A native of Hebron, Nebraska, Killinger earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nebraska in 1961 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. He has since built an international career as an architect, educator and civic leader. He is principal and founding partner of Kuang Xing International, a 50-person architecture, landscape and urban design practice based in Beijing and Philadelphia, and a founder of the Killinger Center for Urban Studies in China, which has strong ties to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He has taught and lectured at the university and served as the interim dean of the architecture college in 2015-16. He has also taught and lectured at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Savannah College of Art and Design, and leading Chinese universities.
A longtime advocate for his alma mater, Killinger served on the College of Architecture’s Professional Advisory Council from 2004-2015 and as a trustee of the University of Nebraska Foundation since 2012. In 2008, he received the distinguished Alumni Master award from the Nebraska Alumni Association. He is also a member of the NU Foundation’s Burnett Society for sustained philanthropic giving.
Youngscap is a lifelong Nebraskan, earning a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nebraska in 1961. His early career was marked by a commitment to thoughtful urban development and land conservation. In 1965, he acquired 16 acres in southeast Lincoln to protect it from high-density urban sprawl — a decision that led to the creation of Firethorn Golf Club, one of Nebraska’s most celebrated golf venues. In the 1990s, he recognized the potential of Nebraska’s Sandhills region, an ancient seabed with unique natural features ideal for golf. Partnering with architects Bill Coore and the PGA’s Ben Crenshaw, he developed the Sand Hills Golf Club, which opened in 1995. The course, celebrated for its minimalist design and harmonious integration with the natural landscape, has consistently been ranked among the top courses in the world.
In 1997, Youngscap received the Dr. Herbert H. Davis Memorial Award from the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was honored with the Virgil A. Parker Special Recognition Award by the Nebraska Golf Association for his contributions to golf in Nebraska.
To maintain a secure environment, the commencement venues enforce a clear-bag policy that limits the size and type of bag that may be brought inside. Details are available here. To avoid inconveniences, guests and graduates are encouraged to arrive early and travel light.
No tickets are required for the ceremonies. All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The public may sit in any non-reserved seats in Pinnacle Bank Arena other than on the main floor, which is set for graduates, faculty and dignitaries. Accessible seating is available on the concourse level in Sections 106, 107, 110, 112, 114, 117 and 118. Beverage stands will be open. Open captioning for people with hearing impairment will be provided through the ribbon screens at the corners of the arena concourse level. Guest services and first aid will be on Level 3 at Gate 112.
Paid parking, including accessible spaces, is available in Haymarket area garages and on the street. Additional information can be found here.
A drop-off area for mobility-restricted guests will be available on the south side of the U.S. Post Office building, 700 R St., directly east of Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Graduating students are to check in no later than 2:20 p.m. for the graduate and professional degree ceremony, 8:20 a.m. for the morning undergraduate ceremony and 2:20 p.m. for the afternoon undergraduate ceremony. Graduates should enter the south lobby, off R Street. A graduate-only entrance sign will be posted. Participants should bring their graduation regalia, as well as their NCard, or a photo ID and NU ID number, for check-in. Graduates will be given a name/number card to find their place in the processional lineup. They should bring this card to the stage to receive their diploma. Limited coat room space will be available, so graduates are encouraged to leave personal items with family or friends.
Guest parking for the College of Law ceremony is available in Lot 58, east of the Devaney Center. Guests should enter the venue via the north ramp. Accessible parking is also available east of the building. Attendants can direct guests to accessible seating. Limited guest services will be available.
Law graduates should park in Lot 57, just south of The Ice Box; enter through the Francis Allen Training Complex, northwest of the Devaney Center; and proceed to the track area. They should check in no later than 1:15 p.m. Graduates should bring their gown, tam and hood, as well as any honor cords or medallions. Personal items should be left with family or friends or in a locked vehicle. Graduates will return their robes in the track area following the ceremony.
Those participating in the Family Traditions Ceremony should arrive at 12:30 p.m. and follow signs to the main level of the Devaney Center, near the Athletic Training Office. The ceremony will begin at 12:45 p.m. and conclude in time for graduates to report for lineup.
The graduate and undergraduate ceremonies are expected to last about two-and-a-half hours, and the College of Law ceremony is expected to last 90 minutes to two hours. Graduates and their guests are asked to stay for the entire ceremony.
The commencement livestreams can be accessed here. The ceremonies also will be broadcast live on Spectrum channel 1303, Allo channel 23 and Kinetic channel 1080.
Additional information on May commencement is available here or by emailing commencement@unl.edu. For more information on the College of Law ceremony, contact Paige Debrie at 402-472-5117 or pdebrie2@unl.edu.
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