Welcome to the first edition of SHP Alumni Profiles! Our intent is to make this a regular feature on our blog. Turns out SHP alums lead pretty interesting lives! We thought you’d like to read about them.
We’re starting with the Wenburg family, one of the largest SHP alumni families, thanks to two marriages. There are five Wenburg alums from the 1990s: Justin, Aaron, and Chris are from Beaver City; Justin married Kili Rikli, also from Beaver City; and Aaron married Andrea Moomey, from Holdrege. (The family nearly had an SHP marriage trifecta, because Chris’s wife, Jillian, from Arapahoe, was accepted to SHP but could not attend due to a family vacation conflict.) The three boys are sons of Jim and Rogene Wenburg, longtime owners of the funeral home in Beaver City. They retired and moved to Hastings in 2013; Rogene, who was also a teacher, died in 2018. As a family, the Wenburgs have been significant contributors to recent SHP fundraising campaigns. Jim credits Summer Honors with giving his children the self-confidence to achieve their goals. He says he and Rogene believed in the importance of education and appreciated the opportunities offered by SHP.
We had each of the five Wenburg alumni fill out a questionnaire. Here are their responses.
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Name: Justin Wenburg
SHP years: 1990-1994
SHP classes: Science, Statistics, Science, Social Science, Med Science
High school and graduation year: Beaver City 1994
Colleges and graduation years: Chadron State College 1997, University of Nebraska Med Center 2001
Where do you live now? Hastings
How old are you? 48
What’s been your story since high school? Kili and I got married in August 1998. She had one year left at Nebraska Wesleyan and I was getting ready to start my second year of medical school. For our first year of marriage we lived in Lincoln and I drove to Omaha each day for medical school. After Kili graduated that year, we then moved to Omaha to complete our schooling. While completing a 3-year internal medicine residency in La Crosse, WI, our first child was born (Carter). At the completion of internal medicine residency we moved back to Nebraska and I joined Hastings Internal Medicine. Our daughter (Selah) was born shortly after we moved to Hastings. In 2017 our clinic transitioned entirely to outpatient care. Up until that time we were managing patients in the hospital as well as the clinic and this made for a very demanding schedule. Our son, Carter, is now at Columbia University in New York and our daughter is at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. I have especially enjoyed our annual father/son and father/daughter trips that I coordinated each year. We are almost empty-nesters but for the fact that we have been hosting a foreign exchange student this year from Colombia. Kili and I are looking forward to transitioning to a new stage of life with just the two of us next year.
How did Summer Honors influence your life? Summer Honors helped to build my confidence. It inspired me to aim higher. As a younger SHP student I was in awe of the older SHP students. I loved the combination of higher academic achievement mixed with social activities, friends, and having fun. Summer Honors also holds special memories of teenage love as Kili and I were “on our own together” for those two weeks in Holdrege each summer. SHP helped grow our early relationship as we dated throughout high school.
What books, films, TV shows, plays, art, music, essays, poems, or other creative works have most influenced you in your life? Why? I love taking in information and wish I had more time for books and movies. I enjoy listening to audiobooks while walking our dog. I have NPR on in my office all day and am a big fan of public radio. I am an enthusiast of a wide range of music genres and enjoy concerts of all types. I especially enjoy The Listening Room concert series in Hastings primarily featuring singer/songwriters. I have always enjoyed newspapers and subscribe to the Omaha World Herald, New York Times and Valley Voice (regional weekly newspaper that has consolidated 7 small newspapers including the former Times Tribune from Beaver City). I also enjoy National Geographic and The Week. I am a big Broadway fan and try to take in as many shows as possible. I have retained my childhood addiction to sports and remain an avid sports fan.
What’s your favorite place on earth? Why? Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. As superficial as sports can sometimes seem in a troubled world, I still find childlike awe and feel fully alive attending Husker games. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat fully captivate my mind.
What are your goals at this point in your life? At this stage in my life, my goals are transitioning away from achievement. I am hoping to continue to work to try to make the world a better place. I hope to maintain my health and continue to learn, travel, explore and continue efforts at finding the right balance between work and play.
What are you most thankful for? My wife, Kili.
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? I appreciate my resilience, grit and optimism.
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Name: Kili Wenburg
Former name: Kili Rikli
SHP years: 1992-1994
SHP classes: Logic, Statistics, Med Science
High school and graduation year: Beaver City for most of high school, graduated from Southern Valley (1996)
Colleges and graduation years: Nebraska Wesleyan (1999) – BA in Math; Creighton University (2001) – MA in Theology
Where do you live now? Hastings, Nebraska
How old are you? 46
What’s been your story since high school? I went to college and grad school and then became a stay-at-home mom with two kids. As the kids grew up, I moved gradually back into the workforce, trying a number of different occupations including spiritual director, life coach, paralegal, and bakery/cafe owner/manager. I have wrestled at length with feelings of grief(?)/loss(?) when trying to reconcile what I believed to be my potential coming out of high school and what I have actually done in the real world, which has been limited in part by prioritizing family over career. Now that I am entering the “empty nest” stage, I am excited to explore new ways of challenging myself, developing my potential, and contributing to the world.
How did Summer Honors influence your life? Most notably, those hot summer nights were when I fell in love with the guy to whom I have now been married for almost 26 years. Less obviously, SHP contributed to my sense of self as capable, competent, and smart. And I credit–with much gratitude!–that logic class I took as a 14-year-old with instilling in me a life-long love of philosophy.
What books, films, TV shows, plays, art, music, essays, poems, or other creative works have most influenced you in your life? Why? I love having my mind expanded by philosophers and teachers from many religions.
What’s your favorite place on earth? Why? Anywhere that I am while making a silent retreat because these places give me space to reflect deeply.
What are your goals at this point in your life? Get enlightened; walk the Camino de Santiago; floss regularly; become vegan; be as kind to myself as I am to others; run a half marathon; arrive at the end of life with no regrets (at least from here on out)
What are you most thankful for? My husband
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? I know that people can trust me
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Above: The 1994 SHP group photo contains four of the five Wenburgs. Aaron is front row, far left; Andrea is fourth row, three from the left; Justin is fifth row, five from the left; Kili is ninth row, far right, in front of Doug Walters.
Name: Aaron Wenburg
Former name: Spider-Man
SHP years: 1992 – 1995
SHP classes: Statistics, Social Science
High school and graduation year: Beaver City, then Southern Valley 1996
Colleges and graduation years: Fort Hays State University & UNMC 2002 & 2005
Where do you live now? North Platte
How old are you? 46
What’s been your story since high school? I pursued a career in physical therapy. I worked in Lexington for three years, went to a residency in LaCrosse, Wisconsin for a year, worked at Hastings PT for three years and then I became a partner in a physical therapy clinic in North Platte in 2010. I see patients and help manage all aspects of SandhillsPT. We have two other clinics in Ogallala and Mullen.
Andrea (Moomey) and I got married in 2005 (read her book UNFROZEN for the extended edition) and we have two teenagers now. I enjoy watching the kids in their activities and exploring health research and practices.
I am involved in Rotary, which led to taking the family on a medical mission trip to Kenya last January.
How did Summer Honors influence your life? I met my wife there.
It was a chance to be around other students with similar interests and abilities. I probably didn’t realize how special it was until I didn’t make it my senior year. But I think that helped me to appreciate the experience, be sure to take tests seriously, and not take opportunities for granted.
What books, films, TV shows, plays, art, music, essays, poems, or other creative works have most influenced you in your life? Why? John Eldredge’s Sacred Romance helped me view life as a story. Saving Private Ryan inspired me to earn it. I listen to a lot of business and leadership podcasts now.
What’s your favorite place on earth? Why? Taking the dogs on a walk, listening to a podcast.
What are your goals at this point in your life? Continue to grow and improve, and help others do that, too – whatever that looks like.
What are you most thankful for? Family, health, and opportunities we have
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? I’m a learner.
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Name: Andrea Wenburg
Former name: Andrea Moomey
SHP years: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
SHP classes: Logic, Social Science, Statistics
High school and graduation year: Holdrege High School, 1997
Colleges and graduation years: Belmont University, UNK (2001); Trinity International University (2004)
Where do you live now? North Platte
How old are you? 45
What’s been your story since high school? I went to Belmont University in Nashville to break into the music industry, but quickly realized I wasn’t up for playing the game. I came back to UNK for a bachelor’s in Music Ed and taught at Loomis for a year. I had a bunch of nagging theological and psychological questions so I headed to seminary in Chicago and completed a MA in Counseling Ministries, then came back to Loomis to teach for two more years. Aaron and I got married, went to his physical therapy residency in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and had Amelia. We moved back to Hastings for three years and had Grant, then moved to North Platte where Aaron became a partner in a physical therapy clinic. In 2016 I published a memoir called UNFROZEN: Stop Holding Back and Release the Real You and a year later I started the Voice of Influence podcast and consulting firm.
In my business we work with corporate, small businesses, mid-market businesses, nonprofits across the country. We’re also a government contractor with the Department of Defense. We provide leadership and professional development programs and coaching (conflict management, team building, manager training, and other human power skills) and we work with executive teams focused on culture and strategic alignment. The Voice of Influence podcast is still running strong after 7 years. I’m currently working on a new business book project.
Our kids are teenagers and will be a senior and a freshman in high school next year. We went to Kakamega, Kenya, as a family for a medical mission trip in January, 2024. It was an incredible experience to share with our family and a great way to broaden the kids’ world view.
How did Summer Honors influence your life? I met Aaron Wenburg in my first year of SHP. We kept in touch, and then we dated and got married in 2005. That’s a pretty significant influence! Attending SHP boosted my confidence socially and academically and helped me dream bigger. My post-SHP relationships with instructors Murray Siegel and Doug Walters have been incredibly encouraging and inspiring to me.
What books, films, TV shows, plays, art, music, essays, poems, or other creative works have most influenced you in your life? Why? A lot of movies and musicals have impacted me. The movie Frozen hit me hard because I could relate to Elsa – a character I’m sure many SHPers would understand because of her sensitivity, creativity, and intensity. Currently – I highly recommend Jon Batiste’s documentary American Symphony on Netflix for anyone wanting to live fully human while sharing their art and message with the world.
What’s your favorite place on earth? Why? Definitely wherever my people are. In particular, sitting next to my husband watching our son play tennis or our daughter play golf.
What are your goals at this point in your life? Personally, my goals are to maintain and grow relational connection with our family and friends. Professionally, I have a lot of goals like publishing, speaking, and growing the business, which revolve around my mission to help bridge the gap between human potential and the need in the world.
What are you most thankful for? I’m grateful for Aaron and for our mutual belief in and support for each other on every level. He plays an essential role in my ability to do what I do.
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? Being strategic and artistic at the same time. I’ve learned that ideas and execution don’t have to be perfect to make a significant impact.
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Name: Chris Wenburg
SHP years: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
SHP classes: Social Science (1995), Computer Science (1996), Web Design (1997), Social Science Brasil (1998-1999)
High school and graduation year: Southern Valley 1999
Colleges and graduation years: Chadron State College (B.S., 2002), University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry (D.D.S., 2006), University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry (A.E.G.D., 2007)
Where do you live now? Kansas City, Missouri
How old are you? 43 technically, but 33 mentally
What’s been your story since high school? I attended Chadron State College for my B.S. prior to going to Dental School. I graduated from UNMC College of Dentistry in 2006 and then completed a one-year residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry at UMKC. I married Jillian Tangeman (Arapahoe, NE) in 2007 and moved to Ord, NE, where I had a dental practice for 2 years. In 2009, we moved to Kansas City while Jillian completed her Ph.D. In 2011, we moved to Durango, CO. Right before the pandemic hit in 2020, we decided to move back to the Midwest and made a mid-pandemic move back to Kansas City. I now practice general dentistry at a private practice on the Plaza in KC. I also teach part-time at the UMKC School of Dentistry. In June of 2023, our amazing son, Miles John, was born.
How did Summer Honors influence your life? As much as I may tell you now, I never was really the “cool kid.” As a shy rural Nebraska youth I always looked forward to SHP. SHP showed me a bigger world of other kids and teachers who made it “cool” to challenge ourselves intellectually.
What books, films, TV shows, plays, art, music, essays, poems, or other creative works have most influenced you in your life? Why? My child is doomed to have to listen to 90s music and watch old movies. You cannot count the number of times I have watched the movies American Beauty, Fight Club, Swingers, and Good Will Hunting.
What’s your favorite place on earth? Why? Sharing a peaceful beach or mountain stream with Jillian and Miles. I love the beauty of the earth and being able to enjoy these things with my family is priceless.
What are your goals at this point in your life? Be a good person and raise a good son.
What are you most thankful for? Every day
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? That I am able to surround myself with many wonderful people.