Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, Department of
Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
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First Advisor
Becky Haddad
Committee Members
Mark Balschweid, Thomas Field, Matthew Kreifels
Date of this Version
4-17-2026
Document Type
Project
Citation
A research presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science
Major: Leadership Education
Under the supervision of Professor Becky Haddad
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 17, 2026
Abstract
The purpose of this program evaluation was to discover the experiences of entrepreneurial education received in the Nebraska FFA Launch! Program in relation to future decisions for high school students about entrepreneurship. The Launch! Program aims to provide an educational experience for youth to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and view entrepreneurship as a possible career pathway. This focus addresses the opportunity to potentially help solve the issue of brain drain in rural Nebraska communities. A program evaluation was conducted by story harvesting from past participants through Zoom interviews to understand personal experiences and takeaways from their time in the Launch! Program. Key findings included the positive value of experiential training events and business pitching, as well as the exposure to entrepreneurship as a career pathway. These findings indicate that the Launch! Program has been successful in providing meaningful entrepreneurial education to youth in Nebraska and has opened the doorway for youth to consider entrepreneurship for their future path. These findings also imply that the Launch! Program is a worthwhile program to continue for its major stakeholders (Nebraska FFA Association, Nebraska FFA Foundation, and the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program) who are concerned with helping rural Nebraska economies sustain themselves through youth in agriculture, entrepreneurship, and beyond.
Advisor: Becky Haddad
Included in
Agricultural Education Commons, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons, Vocational Education Commons
Comments
Copyright 2026, Miranda M. Hornung. Used by permission