Isaac Stallbaumer and Steve Gangwish have a few things in common: They share rural backgrounds and hail from small Nebraska communities. They also knew they didn’t necessarily want to work in agriculture right after college. They both majored in engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
And both pledged FarmHouse.
Stallbaumer (NE ’18) knew FarmHouse was for him after meeting the rush chairman and attending a summer rush party. “The FarmHouse guys had more ambition. They seemed like they wanted to do more with their lives.”
He admits he wasn’t the most social person when he entered college. “Having guys around me forced me to improve my social skills and get out to meet people. They also helped me build my study habits.”
Gangwish (NE ’04) joined FarmHouse after taking a similar approach to picking a fraternity. He quickly noticed the leadership skills FarmHouse men possessed and the academic excellence they achieved.
“The minute I walked into FarmHouse, I knew I was living the dream and having the time of my life,” he recalled.
Although their time at Farmhouse came roughly two decades apart, Stallbaumer and Gangwish have something else in common: They were among the first FH actives and alums to be paired in the Nebraska FH Alumni Mentorship Program. The two said they have enjoyed getting to know each other and have become friends – to go along with being FarmHouse brothers.
The program, established in 2021 by the FarmHouse Association’s Brotherhood Committee, looked to increase alumni involvement with members of the Active Chapter.
“Nebraska FarmHouse is blessed with alumni from throughout the United States who have accomplished and diverse careers. We wanted to establish a mentorship program to match interested undergraduates with interested volunteer alumni mentors,” said Steve England (NE ’66), association board member and mentor program coordinator.
When looking to match alumni with current members, England said, the committee looked for commonality in career goals, personal interests or similar hometowns. An alumnus doesn’t have to live in Nebraska to serve as a mentor. To date, 50 alumni have been matched to serve as mentors for current FarmHouse members.
