Name: David Parde
Hometown: Odell
Affiliated Fund: Diller Community Foundation Fund
School: Wayne State College
What does it feel like to be back in your hometown this summer?
Great. One year of college exploring new things was amazing, but some familiarity has been a nice relief.
What are some of your hometown’s greatest assets?
The Opera House, the new park, the new bar, and The Whiskey Barrel.
Everyone has gifts and talents to share. What do you hope to share with your hometown this summer?
My love and ability to work with technology and editing video. I’m hoping to expand into some small film work to put our town online where people near and far can see what’s going on in Diller, Nebraska.
What should older adults know about your generation of Nebraskans?
We have ideas just like yours.
How does belonging play a role in your attachment to your hometown?
Belonging is a feeling that is really difficult to replicate, and if you feel like you belong in your community, it gives you a desire to improve it.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future of your community?
For it to exist and thrive. Big cities get bigger, and small towns and villages get smaller all the time.
What are you looking for in a place to call home?
Small. Right now, I spend a lot of time in Wayne at school, and I don’t even love a town of 6,000 people. I want either a replica of my hometown of Odell or maybe just Odell, but right now it’s too early and complicated to tell where my life is going to go.
If you were designing a future for yourself in Greater Nebraska, what would that look like?
I have no idea, and that door is wide open.
What’s a piece of advice you have for older generations of Nebraskans?
Younger Nebraskans are ready to do something positive in this state.
