Senior Ethan Wolbach embodies Maverick spirit
(OMAHA, Neb.)– Ethan Wolbach was named 2019-2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Student for the Journalism and Media Communication division of the School of Communication. It is among the School of Communication’s highest honors presented to students who have exhibited outstanding academic success as well as leadership on campus and in the community.
Ethan volunteers hundreds of hours a semester serving as sports and programming broadcaster for MavRadio.FM. “He’s one of the hardest working dudes I’ve met. Ethan does so much outside of school, too, and he still finds a way to make killer content and do well in classes,” said Ben Helwig, general manager of programming for MavRadio.FM.
Mav Radio’s Ethan Wolbach live tweets a game from the press box during the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park 
Ben Helwig, Ethan Wolbach, Owen Godberson and Jack Hoover take notes on Omaha Hockey during play-by-play and intermission analysis.
The Papillion native was responsible for creating daily content throughout the 2019 College World Series for MavRadio.FM’s digital media. He helped plan and successfully execute a 24-hour broadcast marathon recognizing World College Radio Day. His responsibilities included writing and developing a promotions plan, interviewing local guests live, on-the-air and serving as a mentor for new staff members.
Ethan also collaborates with the sports team to broadcast all home sporting events, Omaha Athletics media days, and the weekly MavRadio.FM radio and TV broadcast “First Warning.” The UNO senior played a significant role in the success of the first four live broadcasts of Maverick Digital Network, where he’s studio director for the production. MavRadio.FM Faculty Advisor, Jodeane Brownlee said Ethan’s determination to give his best transcends his work on radio and television. “It’s his kindness to others that I’ll remember. He’s always lifting fellow students up. That’s the real spirit of leadership,” she said.
As a former athlete, Ethan transfers his competitive nature to the classroom. “Ethan was a significant participant in the #UNO1ForAll First Amendment social media influence contest. He was a leader on Twitter throughout the 90-day campaign and received honorable mention from our judges. He’s also been a leader in Communication Law & Policy last semester, and Computer-Mediated Communication right now,” said UNO Peter Kiewit Distinguished Professor Dr. Jeremy Lipschultz.
Students qualify for the award on their grade point average, and the eligible candidates are then voted on by the JMC faculty.
