Nebraska Today has partnered with the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women to feature female office/service staff who go above and beyond in their work at Dear Old Nebraska U. This Women of Service series will run through March.
Every employee featured in this series was nominated by a member of the campus community.
Today, the series continues with Meghan Rivera, operations coordinator for the College of Law. Rivera has been with the university for almost nine years. Every day on campus, she strengthens her knowledge and helps students, faculty and staff.
Rivera sat down with commission members to discuss what drives her in her work.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Lincoln. I have my bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I have been married for almost 10 years. Together he and I have 3 children, ages 16, 12 and 6 (almost 7). I love baking, crocheting, reading and spending time with my family. I am also an avid learner. I want to learn all I can about so many things. My favorite subject to learn about, though, is Tudor England. I will spend far more time than I should reading all I can about it.
How long have you been at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln?
I have been with the university for almost nine years. My position has changed, and responsibilities have been added over time. When I started, I was the office coordinator, and I am currently the operations and resource coordinator.
What do you look forward to when you come to work?
I enjoy the people I work with. Everyone is always so supportive of everyone and always willing to jump in and help out. I enjoy the work I do and the challenges that arise with it. Whether I’m coordinating multiple interviews for our students or solving a problem that has popped up with our system, or an upcoming event, I am always happy to jump in to both feet. I also look forward to the opportunities I have to learn new things, with all the programs we offer, and the classes the university makes available to us I have been able to grow my knowledge in many different areas.
What is your favorite memory at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln?
I have several favorite memories working here. One of my most recent favorite memories is when I have the opportunity to attend the Strengths Conference this summer. Clifton Strengths has been a high interest area for me since I was introduced to it when I began working for the College of Law. It was amazing to have the opportunity to meet so many people and talk about our strengths and how we can be sure we're using them the best we can. Another great memory, or ongoing memory, is our Mel Shinn Day picnic. Every year host a school wide picnic, and set up several sport tournaments throughout the week prior to the picnic. It's so great to see everyone come together, whether it be the staff, faculty or the students.
What is your life like outside of work.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family or reading a good book. During the summer, we like to spend as much time as we can outside, either around fire, swimming or watching a movie. I also love to bake and cook. I really enjoy trying out new recipes, figuring out different ways to tweak it to make it my own. A new hobby I've picked up is crocheting. I'm not great at it yet, but I love the process and the challenge but receptiveness of it.
What is something most people don't know about you?
This is one of my least favorite questions. I'm a pretty open book, there's not a lot about me that people don't know, once I get to know you. I talk about my family a lot and my different hobbies. I suppose something that people may not know is I love playing board games or card games. So many fun memories are created and we always ending up laughing way too much. Another thing, that I don't know if a lot of people know about me but I doubt it would surprise them, is my love of all things history. I mentioned earlier that one of my favorite subjects to learn about is Tudor England, but I will read almost anything about history. I have history books ranging from Ancient Rome to World War II.
