Carlee Rigatuso
During her time on the Bellevue West newspaper staff, Carlee Rigatuso served as a reporter and the business manager. She now attends the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and is majoring in criminology and criminal justice on a pre-law and pre-public health track with a minor in ethnic studies.
Rigatuso plans to connect all of her studies to better her community.
“I'm doing my research project over the section of homelessness, and connecting criminal history and health,” Rigatuso said. “But basically, just how homelessness impacts life circumstances. A lot of people who end up in the criminal justice system come from lower income backgrounds, or like minority backgrounds. Both are heavily associated with worse outcomes.”
Rigatuso is also the president of the University of Nebraska Inter-Tribal Exchange (UNITE). Rigatuso describes UNITE as a “cultural enrichment program” for indigenous students to have a support system.
“It was really nice to come to you and all and be able to find a community that I like, never have had previously outside of my family,” Rigatuso said. “To actually have friends that share a culture similar to mine was just really nice. So I think also in that way, I can provide a support system for students.”
According to Rigatuso, she will occasionally write for the Daily Nebraskan as an opinion writer. Though, she took a break this year to focus on UNITE.
As a member of UNITE, Rigatuso is involved in the Turtle Island Club, a club focused towards teaching native elementary students about their culture. Through UNITE Rigatuso participates in college coaching at Lincoln middle schools.
“A lot of native students have really bad issues with truancy in general,” Rigatuso said. “It’s also just a way to encourage natives to go to higher level education because a lot of them don't.”
Rigatuso recently began participating in the Nebraska Writers Collective. According to Rigatuso, the program specializes in “fostering empowerment and building community through creative writing and performance poetry.” She has been working in correctional facilities to teach writing classes through the program.
“They offer classes, like writing and poetry classes for the youth correctional facility and it's actually credit for school,” Rigatuso said. “It just helps kids who are in the youth correctional facility who need it and want to stay on track in high school.”
According to Rigatuso, being involved in journalism during high school taught her how to express her opinion and speak up.
“I feel like that's another thing they really taught me was how to use my voice,” Rigatuso said. “And how journalism can be a really good outlet for your passions and the issues you want to speak on.”
See Rigatuso's work on The Thunderbeat here