Name
Sam Gross
Which degrees did you earn from CAS?
Undergraduate
Major(s) or area(s) of study
WGS and English
Graduation year
2014
Who is your employer, and where are they located?
Jenda Family Services in Lincoln.
What is your job title and what kind of work does it involve?
Quality Assurance and Clinical Billing Specialist.
What sparked your interest in your major(s) or area(s) of study?
I initially started with just English as my major. Then, I took Intro to WGS and fell in love with it, so I added it as a minor. Over the next couple of years I took more and more WGS courses and loved it so much I decided to double major.
What do you see as the value of your major(s) or CAS degree?
I feel that the greatest lessons I learned were compassion and how to think critically about the world around me.
Were there any other people, activities, or events from your time at UNL that helped you get to where you are now?
I had the pleasure of being the WGS Undergrad Office Assistant for a couple of years and I can honestly say that Rose and Chantal encouraged me to expand my thinking way outside of "the box". Rose, in particular, taught me a valuable lesson that it's okay to not follow the "prescripive" and do things in a way that is unique. They helped me discover new insights into myself that have shaped me into the person I am now.
Tell us about the path you took to get to where you are today in your career and how you applied your education in your major(s) or area(s) of study to get here.
I have worked many different jobs since I graduated, but they have all had one thing in common - helping others. My education helped me to better understand the complexity of identity and lived experiences. I have been able to help many people and families find safe affordable housing, make it through the pandemic without losing their housing, access community resources that helped their children stay well and in school, and come together and support each other during times of trauma. It's been quite the ride and I've been so thankful to have WGS as a guide.
What are your future professional goals?
I'm at the point where I hope I am blessed to be able to stay where I'm at and do what I'm doing for a long long time. My goals are now more focused on the personal - spending as much time as I can with my spouse, travel to places we've never been so we can explore the world as much as possible, start putting myself first, and being the best foster parent I can be to the youth who come to us for care.
January 20, 2026
