By Sara Hinds
It’s the week before finals and Rowan Jolkowski is trying to soak in what’s left of his time at Doane, while also making the rounds to all the faculty, staff and peers he wants to personally thank.
And while we don’t know the full list, we can imagine it’s lengthy, as the list of everything Jolkowski has been involved in during his time at Doane is quite lengthy.
He’s a community advisor and is involved in PRISM (People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities), Greek council, choir and multiple honor societies. And for many of those groups, he also served as president.
But it was still a complete surprise to Jolkowski when he learned earlier this year that MENTOR Nebraska named him “Young Leader of the Year.”
The nonprofit provides mentoring resources and training at the state level and serves under the umbrella of the national MENTOR organization.
“I never saw myself as a leader until I was shown that I could lead,” Jolkowski said. “And that’s what Doane does.”
He came to Doane as a first-generation college student with the intention to join choir and become a therapist. His internal compass steered him toward the same destination, just with additional stops on the way.
“One of my core values is being there for other people,” Jolkowski said. “And so while I was doing all these things, I found that I had the ability to help people in multiple ways, not just being a friend, not just being an acquaintance.”
Former Doane staff member Eric Jones saw Jolkowski’s leadership potential and encouraged him to apply to become a community advisor.
It took just one person believing in him for Jolkowski to believe in himself. He went on to become a leader and mentor across campus. While president of PRISM, he reached out to MENTOR Nebraska for resources. He attended a workshop about the importance of mentorship for queer youth in the United States. He also served on panels for the nonprofit about the importance of bringing young voices to the table.
In his various leadership positions at Doane, he’s championed listening to and learning from others. He’s made change where he sees fit and empowered his peers “to make their own change” now and in the future, say after Jolkowski graduates. His impact across campus will last for a long time — within multiple organizations, the peers he’s mentored and the people who he considers mentors.
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Aside from Jones, Jolkowski also named his other mentors: Eden Diehl, Assistant Director of Campus Engagement - Fraternity and Sorority Life; Brian Stutz, Director of Residential Life and Education; Luis Sotelo, Vice President for Community & Government Relations; and Amanda Irions, Assistant Professor, Assistant Data Analyst and Faculty Advisor for PRISM.
