“Growing up in Iowa, a state divided by the Iowa [Hawkeyes] and Iowa State [Cyclones] teams, it’s so nice that everybody here is a Huskers fan,” said Lizzie Vietz, who attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) after growing up in Des Moines. “That’s sports, but it’s bigger than that. We’re all on the same team. We’re on team Nebraska. I love that culture here,” she added.
Lizzie grew up visiting her grandparents in Lincoln. Together, they explored the Lincoln Children’s Museum, marveled at fossils in Morrill Hall, and dined at the city’s classic restaurants. The memories they created together helped Lizzie fall in love with Nebraska. She even became an outspoken Husker fan—an unpopular choice for a kid living in Iowa. This tie to Nebraska, along with her parents being Husker alumni, inspired Lizzie to attend UNL for college. “If you asked me in seventh grade where I was going to college, it was always UNL. I always knew I wanted to be a Husker,” she said.
Reconnecting with her family’s home
Lizzie’s parents met each other while students at UNL. Her father grew up in Hastings and her mother grew up in Lincoln. Much like her parents’ story, it was at UNL where Lizzie met and fell in love with her husband, Chad Vietz.
Lizzie and Chad’s wedding in 2021 featured some of their favorite Nebraska locations and businesses. Their engagement proposal took place at the gazebo in Hamann Rose Garden, and they took engagement photos at the Sunken Gardens across the street. They served drinks at their wedding from the local brewery Zipline Brewing Co., served Voltaire brownies from The Coffee House, and took their wedding photos at Crescent Moon Coffee where they had their first date. Their wedding ceremony took place at Apothecary in Lincoln’s Haymarket Square.
Finding their true home
After graduating from college, Lizzie and Chad moved to Lawrence, Kansas, so that Chad could start his master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Kansas. They considered moving to Overland Park after Chad completed his degree. But they knew Nebraska was their true home.
“He finished grad school, and I was working for a while in Kansas. It was a good time to think, Okay, if we want to move somewhere where would it be? And it was always back to Lincoln,” Lizzie explained. Wanting to put down roots in Nebraska, the couple began looking for jobs in Lincoln.
Finding a community and a career that fits
Lizzie not only returned to Lincoln, but also came back to UNL—this time as an employee. She started her career at the university as the Employer and Campus Relations Coordinator with Career Services in November of 2023. Chad also found a great job in Lincoln as a chemist for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
While studying at UNL, Lizzie had interned at UNL Career Services as a peer guide. “That was only a semester-long experience, but I really enjoyed it,” she said. “This is a return to Lincoln, return to UNL, and a return to Career Services.”
In January of 2025, she began work as a Marketing Strategist for Student Life Marketing & Communications at UNL, returning to her professional roots in community relations and marketing. “I get to work with partners across campus to directly and positively impact our students’ experience. This work is so rewarding, and I’m thrilled to do it for a place that means so much to me and supports my own growth like UNL does,” Lizzie said.
Reigniting the Husker pride
Returning to Lincoln reminded Lizzie and Chad why they loved it so much while attending college. Lincoln has the cultural and entertainment options of a larger city, while maintaining the feeling of connectedness that’s palpable in communities across Nebraska.
“It’s been really fun to plug back into the things we already loved,” said Lizzie. “I saw Lincoln before COVID, the very beginning of COVID, and not again until after COVID in October 2023,” Lizzie explained. “In a lot of ways my favorite part is the local businesses have stayed alive.”
The expansion taking place around the city is exciting to watch for someone who recently returned to Lincoln. “The new Sandhills Global Youth Complex is going to be cool. That will be where Nebraska Wesleyan University houses its sports,” said Lizzie. “I like that expansion and collaboration. It’s not just Sandhills using it for its own purposes, it’s going to work with the local universities to make it happen. That’s exciting to me.”
The events that bring together the community are also a highlight. “I’m a huge Jazz in June fan. I love the Hub & Soul series too. I try to go to as many of those as I can. It shows the high-quality nonprofit culture that exists here,” she explained.
Being part of something bigger
Lizzie admits that, as a Nebraska fan, it is a little hard for her to be objective. “But I think if you see how wonderful it is, how could you say no?” Lizzie said of Nebraska. “The pride and the history and the tradition that the university offers is a great way to encourage being part of something so much bigger than yourself—being a Husker and a Nebraskan.”
Learn more about the benefits of living in Nebraska: https://thegoodlifeiscalling.com/live/.