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It’s so strange reflecting on how quickly time passes. When I started taking photographs many years ago, the camera was a way for me to become a better observer. It enabled me to hold onto memorable moments in the outdoors that spoke to my heart, and to better understand non-humans and the places they call home.
This is how I found solace, and still do. Along the way of getting from there to here, you've been a part of my journey. The thrill of “seeing,” though highly personal and individualistic, is one we enjoy together.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a younger version of myself, with so much to learn, would receive recognition from a place of higher learning. Today, I am honored and humbled to have received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in my home state. I was the first Mangelsen, after all, to attend university, and I began my studies at UN-Omaha. Like so many college students of modest means, I lived at home and worked different jobs when I wasn’t studying.
Later, I entered the master’s program in zoology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I met my lifelong mentor, friend, and the person who changed the direction of my life, the late Dr. Paul Johnsgard. Paul gave me my first photography lessons, specifically he taught me how to photograph birds in flight, so I could document migrating waterfowl as part of a research project. Looking back, I’m greatly indebted to the University of Nebraska and grateful for this special honor.