Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have created a pilot program for the Lymphoma Research Foundation they hope will raise awareness about the disease among young adults.
They are trying to bring the program to other campuses nationwide. The students had no budget for the awareness campaign, instead relying on grassroots organizing and a public relations-style, relationship-driven approach.
Dane Kiambi, associate professor of journalism and communications at the university and the program’s director, said the students first share resources on lymphoma with others on campuses, as well as with cancer clinics around the country.
“Then part two, our students fundraise on behalf of the foundation on their campuses or in the community,” Kiambi explained.
Depending on the program’s success at the University of Nebraska, it could be scaled up to other colleges around the country.
Kiambi noted beyond providing lessons for students, the campaign is also helping spread knowledge about the prevalence of lymphoma, which data show is among the most common forms of cancer in young adults.
“Ninety-thousand young adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer,” Kiambi pointed out. “One in five of those has lymphoma.”
Kiambi added students are not only learning communications skills which could land them jobs after graduation, but are also proving they can be powerful advocates for an important cause, mainly affecting the college-aged demographic.
