Sabra (Moore) Prusia ’20 said Concordia Nebraska prepared her for work in the agriculture industry

Sabra (Moore) Prusia ‘20 knew she wanted to attend a small college close to home, and Concordia University, Nebraska fit the bill because Seward is about 30 minutes from her childhood home. 

“It felt like the perfect distance—far enough to be independent, but close enough to go home whenever I needed or wanted to,” she said. “My faith has always been important, so choosing a school where faith is woven into daily life and academics mattered to me. When I stepped on Concordia’s campus, I had this immediate feeling of ‘I could make this my home for the next four years.’ No other college I visited made me feel that way.” 

Prusia has a bachelor of arts degree in strategic communications from the university and was part of the university’s shooting sports team. 

“I made lifelong friends through that experience, and many of us still stay in touch. It was an interesting transition from high school to college competitions, but I was ready for the challenge. After college I had to rediscover the love of the sport, I had to transition away from a competitive mindset to a more relaxed, fun, activity I can still do,” she said. “Graduation was bittersweet following the loss of our head coach Scott Minot. I still carry his teachings with me—on the range and in everyday life.” 

While she was a student, Prusia also volunteered regularly at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, where she made “new old friends.”  

“Most of them were about 60 years older than me, but the memories we made were priceless,” she said. “My husband and I even double-date with a few of them today! It feels like having an honorary set of extra grandparents.” 

When Prusia came to the university, she was not sure what career path she wanted to pursue, but she knew she needed to work with people and build connections. 

“A few professors came into my life at exactly the right time and nudged me toward where I needed to be,” she said. “Dr. Pete Koprince’s classes were always exciting and full of deep critical thinking. As someone who was always the ‘why’ kid, I appreciated that his lessons pushed me to analyze big topics, many of which tied directly into faith and real-world issues.” 

She said Koprince’s classes always welcomed healthy debate and always featured a strong devil’s advocate on every topic, which made classes lively and fun to participate in.  

Prusia also praised Dr. Erica Lamm-Denny’s unique teaching style.  

“She used visuals, tied concepts to her Iowa upbringing and her politically divided family and helped us connect communication to real-life relationships, especially those that come up in business,” she said.  

Prusia also took upper-level business courses with Dr. Curt Beck.  

“His classes challenged me in ways that didn’t always feel fun at the time, but they made a lasting impact on my professional and personal life,” she said. 

Prusia said she used to wonder if attending a private four-year university was truly worth it, but her answer has always been an unwavering yes.  

“I wouldn’t be the employee, friend or wife I am today without Concordia,” she said. “No, it wasn’t always easy or picture perfect, but without Concordia I would be missing a piece of myself. The open-door policy, whether with professors, office staff or administrators, was something I relied on. Whether it was work-related help, post-graduation guidance or just five minutes to talk something through, someone was always there.” 

She said one of the most interesting parts of Concordia was meeting Christians from so many different backgrounds and denominations.  

“Coming from a public school, it was great that we could openly talk about God, Jesus and Scripture in any class. How cool is that?! It became normal to have your Bible with you instead of leaving it in your dorm room. I loved going to chapel every day and getting that little spiritual reset”. 

One of her all-time favorite professors was Rev. Russ Sommerfeld.  

“His classes—Old Testament and Faith and Life—made Scripture exciting and understandable,” she said. “The origins of the stories, the meanings behind the words and the deeper layers we missed in Sunday school all came alive. The first thing he said on day one that stuck with me was ‘God uses people.’ 
I felt like a sponge absorbing everything, genuinely excited for the readings and assignments.” 

 “When I stepped on Concordia’s campus, I had this immediate feeling of ‘I could make this my home for the next four years.’ No other college I visited made me feel that way.” 

During college, Prusia worked a few part time jobs, but the summer before her junior year she landed an internship with Central Valley Ag (CVA). Their internship program was fairly new, and she was young for the program but was eager to learn. 

“My dad had served on the United Farmers Cooperative board and later the CVA board and he always spoke highly of the company. I interviewed, was selected and started as an agronomy sales intern in Shelby, Nebraska. Being from the area, I already knew many of the farmers and employees. I scouted fields, ran the seed treater, learned safety and shadowed different employees to understand how the cooperative system works,” she explained. “CVA asked me to return for a second internship, and at first, I wasn’t sure—but then Glen Franzluebbers and Randy Jensen from the Advanced Cropping Systems team pitched a project that immediately caught my interest. I accepted. Our work involved mapping seed varieties with satellite imaging, learning how moisture sensors function and even operating NDVI drones to gather data on plant health and vegetation density.” 

Heading into her senior year, Prusia said there was much uncertainty when thinking of next steps after college. 

“COVID made hiring strange, but after a few Zoom interviews I accepted a position at the CVA grain elevator in Rising City. I replaced someone who had been there over 40 years and learned so much from him over the two harvests I worked there,” she said. “Eventually, I had to decide whether to stay comfortable or take the leap into an unfamiliar grain role. I interviewed, was offered the role and accepted. I’ve been in the grain merchandising department for a little over three years now, and grateful I made the jump.”  

She said her time at the scale house in Rising City gave her valuable experience probing and weighing trucks, taking inventory, invoicing fertilizer and more importantly, visiting with farmers.  That background supports her current role in many ways.  

She said because of that background, her current role makes much more sense. 

“Understanding elevator operations helps me connect the dots between the merchandising office and the people we serve,” she said. “Each morning, I start by uploading the bid sheet, then I verify that our hedge entries match the hedge statements. After that, I’m ready for whatever calls come in. My role is time-sensitive because of the Chicago Board of Trade’s trading hours, and I wear many hats throughout the day. But my main focus is always the same: serving the farmer.” 

And she said that’s the most fulfilling part of her work: connecting with farmers. 

“Some have become close to me, some keep it strictly business, and that’s great too. A few still call me from my Rising City days, which always makes me smile,” she said. “CVA is farmer-owned, and even our board of directors is made up of farmers. I remind myself every day that although I have a manager and a chain of command, I ultimately work for the farmer. If there ever comes a day when that mindset isn’t a part of me, that’s probably the day I shouldn’t work at a co-op anymore.” 

Prusia and her husband, Theo, recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary. He has served for over 10 years in the Nebraska Army National Guard. Just recently he was promoted to CW2 (Chief Warrant Officer) and works as a technician at the Armory in Lincoln, Nebraska.  

Prusia’s mom, Angela, has worked in the district office for David City Public Schools for more than 20 years and her dad has been a lifelong farmer, which Prusia said is where she gets her love for agriculture. Her oldest brother, Max, works on the farm as the family’s fifth generation farmer. Prusia hopes to join the operation full time someday. Her younger brother, Wayne, is a business teacher at Malcolm Public Schools. 

When she’s not working, you’ll find Prusia sewing, quilting, gardening, thrifting or antiquing. 

“I suppose all that time spent with my grandparents influenced my hobbies too,” she said. “They truly don’t make things like they used to!”  

The Prusias recently bought a house in Gresham, Nebraska, and have been restoring it.  

“We’ve sanded down original oak floors, polished the original bathroom tile, restored antique balusters, railings and spindles and worked on lots of little details to make the house our own,” she said. 

Prusia said she has been blessed to know her great-grandma on her mom’s side and great-grandparents on her dad’s side, and she enjoys spending time with both sets of her grandparents. The Prusias also enjoy spending time with Theo’s “Gramma,” who Prusia describes as a “treasure to all of us.” The couple also enjoys spending time with honorary grandparents Richard and Claudia Horton, who Prusia met volunteering at the VFW.  

“They’ve been one of the greatest blessings to come from my Concordia years and have shaped who I am,” she said. “Every month of couple of months we go out on a double date somewhere local.”  

Strategic communications students at Concordia Nebraska have the opportunity to take specialized courses related to various aspects of the strategic communication profession. These classes, designed to equip students for leadership and service in various strategic communication careers, are taught by esteemed faculty who have extensive experience in their fields.