Alumni happy with decision to ‘come home’

Moving away from home is usually the first thing on any high school graduate’s mind, but several Aurora High School alumni are finding it even more important to return. 
With Aurora’s welcoming presence, family-like community and tradition of excellence, alumni Anya and Tanner Griffith, Ben McQuiston and Cole Ashby decided that you are never too old to come back home.

Anya and Tanner Griffith
Both hailing from humble roots, Anya (formerly Oswald) and Tanner Griffith grew up in Aurora, attending AHS and getting involved in activities and sports such as FFA and golf.
“I played basketball through my junior year,” Tanner began. “I played golf and baseball too. Then I was in FBLA, National Honor Society, all the typical things.”
Staying true to her farm upbringing, Anya focused on agricultural extracurriculars alongside her sports.
“I did FFA, I did volleyball for a couple of years, but I preferred basketball,” she said. “I grew up on a farm, so I showed cows too, and I really liked that.”
After their time in Aurora, the couple found themselves in Omaha as Tanner finished pharmacy school.
“Living in Omaha was good, it had a lot of perks,” Tanner voiced, “We met a lot of awesome people there, but it’s very busy. You don’t get as much of that freedom that we have here.”
Expanding her own career path, Anya found herself making the commute from Omaha to Aurora to continue doing hair in town.
“When Taylor was in pharmacy school, I drove back and forth,” Anya said. “I did hair here in Aurora, so I’d work here Monday through Wednesday night and then went back to Omaha on the weekends.”
The time apart didn’t seem to bother Tanner, though.
“Tanner studied all the time anyways,” Anya added with a laugh. “And he had his dogs, so he was fine.”
After his schooling, the couple found themselves wanting to come back to their hometown.
“It’s funny to think back because we did things kind of backwards,” Tanner explained. “We bought a house before I even knew that I was going to have a job here. It was just kind of a cool God thing that it worked out.”
With their jobs bringing them back, families drew them here as well.
“Both sets of our parents are still around here,” Tanner said. “Raising kids in a small town is definitely something that we wanted to do, too.”
The new parents knew that Aurora was going to be the best place for their little family to thrive. The community, school and opportunities were too good to pass up.
“It definitely takes a village to raise kids in this day and age,” the couple explained. “So, having people with the same values and coming from the same background and experiences is definitely helpful in raising your kids how you want them to be.”
In conjunction with the people, Anya and Tanner wanted their kids to go to school in Aurora.
“The school and all the people involved at the school is another big thing,” Tanner started. “Everyone’s really children-focused and wants the best.”
The opportunity to be involved is another aspect the parents loved.
“It’s easy to get involved in school activities,” Anya said. “Especially in this community, you can be involved in anything and everything.”
As they continue to build their lives in Aurora, the Griffiths expressed the pride they take in their hometown.
“I think there’s a reputation out there that Aurora is a very good community,” Tanner said. “It holds a lot of weight. So, we’re trying to raise a family here and give back as much as we can. I know it shaped Anya and me into the people we are today, and I know it does that for a lot of people that come from here. It’s awesome to be back, and we’re proud to be from Aurora.”

Ben McQuiston
As a 2013 AHS grad, Ben McQuiston found himself involved in the Aurora community from day one. Going to school here from kindergarten through his senior year, he knew it was important to give back in any way he could.
“Involvement included everything,” McQuiston started. “Sports, football, basketball, track and then baseball in the summer. There was always something going on.”
The Aurora alum got involved in school organizations as well.
“I was in FBLA, National Honors Society and the ambassador program,” he said. “If there were new students or new teachers between the elementary, middle or high school, we’d give them tours.”
Post-high school, McQuiston moved to Lincoln to pursue an accounting degree at the University of Nebraska.
“I stayed there for a year,” McQuiston explained, “but I knew I wanted to get back to central Nebraska.”
During the pandemic, that goal was made reality for the accountant.
“Because of the pandemic, a lot of work from home was offered,” he recalled. “I actually got an opportunity right when COVID started to come back and work here in Aurora.”
Now, working in the finance and accounting department at the Aurora Cooperative, he’s seen firsthand just how important the company and Aurora as a whole are to Nebraska and neighboring states.
“(Working here) has really opened my eyes,” he voiced. “The Aurora Cooperative has made a footprint in central Nebraska, western Nebraska and all over the state, then bleeding into four others, and it’s all right here. That’s what brought me back to Aurora.”
Along with his work, his want to give back to his hometown drove him to move back.
“I think I owe a lot to the Aurora community,” he said. “This community gave me a lot and I want to eventually build something and give back.”
Even as a kid, he realized just how much the community and its leaders were doing for everyone in town.
“Between all the community projects that happened when I was growing up, The Youth Center, the skate park, 12th Street Cinema pretty much all came around at that time for us to partake in and benefit from,” McQuiston said. “Getting to experience things like that and afford the opportunity for those of the future is special.”
One of the best things about coming back for McQuiston has been the collaboration opportunities he’s had with community leaders.
“I think (the best) thing has been seeing all those people you looked up to as a kid,” he said, “and now getting to work beside them, volunteer beside them and give them a helping hand.”
McQuiston expressed how much being an Auroran means to him.
“I think being a part of the community has shaped who I’ve been and who I will be,” he said. “It has really put into perspective when they say ‘many hands make light work,’ that when you get like-minded individuals together, anything is possible.”

Cole Ashby
Most recently known for his time on the Huskies’ football field and basketball court, Aurora teacher and coach Cole Ashby found his way back to Aurora after time spent in Lincoln exploring his career.
“I’ve kind of had a variety of roles since I’ve been at the school,” he explained. “I started out as a half-time strength and conditioning coach and then half-time business teacher. Now I’ve kinda assumed the role of the district business manager.”
After graduating from Aurora, Ashby went to Lincoln to further his education at the University of Nebraska.
“I actually started as an elementary education major,” he said. “I knew after about a year that I would pass on that.”
He then switched his path to business.
“I always had a passion for business,” the coach explained. “I decided that I wanted to go into business administration, which was like pursuing an accounting degree essentially.”
Putting education on the back burner, he finished his accounting studies and decided to stay in Lincoln.
“After I graduated with my undergrad, I was actually a graduate assistant for the football team,” he said. “I spent two years doing that right after graduation, then after those two years is when I got a job as an accountant.”
Though the accounting life wasn’t quite the right fit for him, he was still thankful for the experience as it brought him back to his initial path of teaching.
“I had this job as an accountant for about a year,” Ashby voiced, “and I realized I didn’t know if I could do that career for my whole life, sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day and not really interacting with people.”
That realization pushed him to go back and finish the education portion of his studies. 
“So, I decided to go ahead and finish my education degree,” he explained. “It took an extra year, but I’m incredibly glad I did. That was probably the best decision I’ve made so far.”
After three years of post-grad living in Lincoln, the accountant-turned-teacher decided to come back home.
“I had such a great experience (in Aurora) as a young adult and as a kid,” he said. “I always saw myself moving back to Aurora eventually.”
After experiencing what Lincoln had to offer, Ashby found himself missing the small nuances of small-town living.
“I think (Aurora) is a good mix of being slow enough, but having things to do as well,” he said. “Moving to Lincoln, (my wife and I) quickly realized that there wasn’t much of a community. Everyone kind of keeps to themselves, even within neighborhoods. You don’t really talk to your neighbors, and that was something my wife and I talked about missing -- having people to be close with, even neighbors. Mowing each other’s yards, talking on the back porch, little joys like that were what we were missing.”
Another huge aspect of coming back to Aurora was his family.
“My family obviously lives in Aurora,” Ashby said. “My wife’s family lives in Hastings, so moving back brought us both closer to family.”
Not only did moving bring him closer to his biological family, but the family that is the Aurora community.
“Especially being at the school, it feels like one big family,” he voiced. “You’re trying to make them proud, trying to provide any assistance you can to community members, school members and the youth in our community.”
He expressed the importance of being able to give back to the community that gave so much to him.
“The elders in our lives gave so much to us,” he said, “and presented such great experiences. Being able to give that back to a younger generation obviously presents a great deal of responsibility, but at the same time it’s a good opportunity to make a good impression. Hopefully, we can make an impression on kids that want to move back home as well.”