CCC Sets Commencement Date, Announces Outstanding Alumni

(Grand Island, Neb.) – Central Community College will hold commencement ceremonies for its Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings campuses on Friday, May 8.

            The keynote speakers will be this year’s Outstanding Alumni Award recipients.

            The Grand Island and Hastings ceremonies will be held at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island. The Grand Island commencement will begin at 10 a.m. with Ashley Ambrosek of Benkelman as the keynote speaker. The Hastings commencement will be held at 2:30 p.m. with Angela Grover of Highland Ranch, Colo., as the keynote speaker.

            The Columbus Campus commencement will be held at 7 p.m. in the Physical Education Center with Nicole Lindhorst of Columbus as the keynote speaker.

            CCC will livestream all three ceremonies at https://www.cccneb.edu/graduation.

(Hastings, Neb.) – Angela Grover of Highlands Ranch, Colo., has been selected as the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient from Central Community College-Hastings.

            She is a 1996 graduate of CCC-Hastings with an associate of applied science degree in dental hygiene. She completed a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from the Community College of Denver in 2018 and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Buena Vista University in 2022 and has earned certifications in myofunctional therapy and laser dentistry.

            Grover, a dental hygienist at Highlands Ranch Smiles, has spent more than 25 years in private practice. She also served as a faculty member and program chair at Iowa Western Community College where she mentored students, led the development of continuing education programming and guided student involvement in community outreach efforts, including the Iowa and Nebraska Missions of Mercy. In 2019, she received both the Omaha and Nebraska Dental Hygienists’ Association Advocate of the Year awards.

            She is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Colorado Dental Hygienists’ Association and is a published author in Today’s RDH and RDH Magazine.

            Grover has three adult children and a grandson.

(Grand Island, Neb.) – Ashley Ambrosek of Benkelman has been selected as the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient from Central Community College-Grand Island.

            She first earned an EMT license from CCC-Grand Island before graduating in 2014 with an associate degree in nursing. She went on to graduate with distinction from the University of Nebraska Medical Center with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and later earn a master’s degree in nursing from Colorado Technical University, where she was selected as her program’s student representative.

            Ambrosek brings a broad and highly skilled background spanning inpatient care, cardiac rehabilitation, surgery and pain management to a career she has devoted to rural Nebraska. Mentored by Dr. J. Paul Meyer, she has played a key role in advancing pain management services through clinical expertise and decisive leadership. Today, she practices alongside her mentor as a pain management nurse practitioner, serving patients in Benkelman, Cambridge and Fairbury. She also is expanding Kompus Aesthetics and Wellness in Grand Island and Benkelman, which will help elevate the standard of care in these communities.

            Ambrosek has a son, Luke.

 

 (Columbus, Neb.) – Nicole Lindhorst of Columbus has been selected as the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient from Central Community College-Columbus.

            She graduated from CCC-Columbus in 2002 with an associate of applied science degree in business administration.

            The Columbus native is an entrepreneur and community leader whose journey reflects the value she puts on education and the power of pursuing possibility.

            After she and Mark married in 2003, they worked in the family business together while raising their children, Emma, Owen and Brody. Over the years, she has launched and grown multiple ventures, including the BeYOUtiful brand and boutique as well as the House of Colour.

            Lindhorst serves on the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce board and as a Chamber Commodore and board president of the Downtown Improvement District. She also volunteers for several other local organizations and is passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs. In 2025, she launched the Lindhorst Strategic Impact Fund, a scholarship designed to support students who seek to build a business of their own.

            She also an author and coach who helps women rediscover their confidence, purpose and identity through her “Becoming a Diamond” framework.