Taking New Paths

This story originally appeared in Archways Magazine's Fall 2016 issue.

By Amanda Broulik

Raeanne Rider (’16) was born exactly 129 years after President Lincoln uttered perhaps the grandest sentence in U.S. history:

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphan, to do all which may achieve a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

The fact that Rider knows Lincoln’s second inaugural address so well tells you something about her. It’s also telling that on her 21st birthday, Rider eschewed the typical bar crawl to stand just yards from where Lincoln spoke, and attend a discussion of the address. “It was a good birthday,” she said.

Rider was in D.C. as part of the Capitol Hill Internship Program (CHIP). She interned with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress—an experience that led her to pursue a graduate degree in library science.

Four years ago, Marian (Heiss) Price (’59) established an endowed fund to support CHIP. “I was at a time in my life when I wanted to take a new path and think about the future,” Price said. “When I heard about CHIP, I didn’t hesitate; I knew I needed to be a part of it.”

Price studied pre-nursing at Nebraska Wesleyan and went on to graduate from Bryan Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Her political life began in 1973 when she worked for Jim Exon’s gubernatorial reelection campaign. Later, she was asked by Bob Kerrey to be his campaign treasurer when he ran for governor in 1982.

“I had never balanced a checkbook in my life!” she said about her role as treasurer. But her liberal arts education and some self-assurance came to her rescue, setting the foundation for a long political career. She was elected to the Lincoln Board of Education in 1985, then transitioned into the Nebraska Legislature in 1999, representing the 26th legislative district for two terms.

“Every time I come back from D.C., I feel so inspired and proud to be an American,” she said. “I want these students to feel that way, too. We need bright, young people dedicated to service, and they’re building them at Nebraska Wesleyan.”

Rider has also fallen in love with D.C.’s political pulse. CHIP gave her the chance to work on “Voices of Civil Rights,” a venture within the Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009, which charged the Library of Congress with unearthing and preserving memories of the civil rights movement. The project traveled the country collecting video and audio recordings, photos and written materials that represent the personal experiences of those in the civil rights movement.

“My job was to create logs of these memories, which will eventually go online,” Rider explained. “Listening to more than 400 interviews, I discovered so many things about the civil rights movement I didn’t know. I got to explore history on a completely different level.”

Their stories underscored the importance of giving back. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to D.C.—or stay in school for that matter—without help. I donated to my senior class gift, along with many of my classmates, because I want to give back. If I can provide others with even a fraction of my experience, it’s worth it.”

Price has met with CHIP students after they’ve returned. “For these students it’s more than just a trip. They’re so full of knowledge and enthusiasm, and for them to share this with me is extraordinary.”

Rider said, “Living in D.C. woke up the activist inside me. I felt so invigorated to stand up for issues near to my heart. I had no idea I would gain so much coming into this program. I’ve found a path that will make me happy and successful, and I’ll walk it with a better grasp of the world around me.”