You can donate any time of year by clicking on the donate button on the right side of our home page or you can go directly to go.unl.edu/sniderfund. Thank you to all who have donated to this fund. You make it possible to give this gift to these deserving students. Congrats to all three winners!
Jack R. Snider/Band Alumni Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to members of the Cornhusker Marching Band who are non-music majors. Recipients demonstrate leadership (formal or informal), volunteerism and integrity. They are a role model for their section and the band, and exemplify what it means to be the Pride of All Nebraska.
My name is Tori Thomas and I am deeply honored to have been selected to be a recipient of the Jack Snider/Band Alumni Association Scholarship. Band and music have been near constants in my life and I am proud to serve the musical organizations that I have had the pleasure of being a part of in any way that I can. Being recognized for such a prestigious award within the Cornhusker Marching Band is such an honor for me and I am thankful to have even been considered for this scholarship. As a new alumna of the Cornhusker Marching Band, I am excited to serve the band in a new capacity as I learn more from and about the Band Alumni Association. The history of this band and the overwhelmingly positive impact it has had on tens of thousands of people cannot be overstated and I can’t wait to help out!
Victoria “Tori” Thomas, piccolo. Senior in Secondary Education from Lincoln, Nebraska.
Thank you for the wonderful honor of being a recipient of the Jack R. Snider/Band Alumni Association Scholarship. The generosity of this organization has not gone unnoticed, and I cannot wait to become a member once I graduate from UNL this May. It is an honor to work alongside some of the best musicians in the state, and I am honored to carry on this legacy of excellence as a UNL and CMB alum.
I graduated from Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, KS in 2020, where I marched mellophone and served as a drum major. I came to UNL majoring in Forensic Science with a concentration in Crime Scene Investigation. In my second year, I declared a double major in Biochemistry.
Serving as a rank leader and drum major in the Cornhusker Marching Band has given me multiple opportunities for growth in conflict management, interpersonal skills, and problem solving. I am so fortunate that I have amazing colleagues in the Glenn Korff School of Music that have helped me grow as a musician and a leader. The skills I developed in the CMB will be imperative to my success as a forensic investigator, and I am forever indebted for the love and experience that the CMB has provided me. Thank you all for allowing me to continue to fund my education as I am applying to graduate programs. I am so proud to represent Nebraska
Madison van Ophem, drum major/mellophone. Senior in Forensic Science and Biochemistry from Overland Park, Kansas.
Bands and will continue to be for the rest of my life.
Jack R. Snider Freshman Scholarship
This scholarship was created in 2020 and is presented to a freshman band member based on the student’s financial need.
As a fledgling member of the Cornhusker Marching Band and Big Red Express, I must admit that this year has been a memorable one. I am a member of the Campus Red Cross, UNL MUNA, NU Meds, MEDLIFE, and the Doctors Without Borders chapter. I also enjoy involving myself as an ambassador of the College of Arts and Sciences and playing intramural soccer. Above all of these commitments, however, the Cornhusker Marching Band and Big Red Express have shone
Andrew Moyer, trumpet. Freshman in Biological Sciences from Bennet, Nebraska.
through the brightest. The peers—the family—I met by joining these programs are unmatched; they were the first to introduce me when I came to campus, and they were the ones who stuck through the ups and downs of the season with me. I’m not sure where I’d be without this crucial piece of my postsecondary journey—certainly not where I am now! Finding how devoted Mr. Snider and his son were to the band program was inspiring, and I hope that, in my time at UNL, I will represent them well.
