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  • “The Great Plains” is a collection of images examining life in what is often considered flyover land. |||<br />
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Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    zGreat Plains12
  • A collection of life in the Great Plains.<br />
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|||<br />
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<br />
Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    10-108Monowi.JPG
  • American health care has failed Vi Lane. Twenty-six years ago, Lane sold her family's four businesses to pay a 2.5 million dollar hospital bill after the death of her husband Rod who was uninsured. With few resources, Lane, now 69, moved into a rented home near downtown Platte City and has recently taken in her pregnant and uninsured granddaughter Cyndi Perkins with her 18-month-old son Tommy Brown. Though health insurance woes continue to plague them, this unexpected family has brought a sense of cohesion and has filled Vi's home with love.<br />
<br />
Vi Lane reaches out to her great-grandson Thomas Brown as they drive through Platte City on Tuesday, September 23, 2014. Lane lost her family's four businesses after the death of her husband 22 years ago, and though the future continues to be unclear, she is grateful for the time with family. | Missouri Photo Workshop<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    docu09.jpg
  • Pool fashion. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    07.JPG
  • Nine-year-old McKayla McCarville stands in the staging area outside of the Burwell arena where the 85th annual Nebraska's Big Rodeo is held. McKayla's father, Kirk McCarville, brought her to the rodeo and McKayla said that she nervously watched him compete in the rodeo's wild horse race. | Personal work<br />
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Chicago Freelance Documentary Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    10-Singles03.JPG
  • A collection of life in the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
|||<br />
<br />
Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    02-11.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    z01-_R1A9917.JPG
  • “The Great Plains” is a collection of images examining life in what is often considered flyover land. |||<br />
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"This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger said. In its 92nd year, the rodeo continues strong and serves as an economic stronghold for a small community in the Sandhills of Nebraska.<br />
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Nebraska's Big Rodeo board member Mike Burnham and Jessa Reinwald, 3, share a saddle as they prepare to go through the Grand Entry during Nebraska's Big Rodeo. The rodeo owes much of its success to board members and other volunteers who give of their time and resources.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    zGreat Plains14
  • “The Great Plains” is a collection of images examining life and love in what is often considered flyover land. |||<br />
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Taylor Rudd of Lubbock, Texas, kneels to pray with his horse, White Horse, during the funeral services for Marine Lance Cpl. Hunter Hogan at St. Joseph Cemetery in York, Neb. Hunter, 21, died while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    zGreat Plains11
  • “The Great Plains” is a collection of images examining life in what is often considered flyover land. |||<br />
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Olivia Salm shares a secret with her boyfriend Mitchel Jensen during the homecoming dance, which took place in the school's cafeteria.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    zGreat Plains09
  • A collection of life in the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
|||<br />
<br />
<br />
Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    01-_R1A9917.JPG
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan06
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan07
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan02
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand Americaís role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghansí lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop038.JPG
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand Americaís role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghansí lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop037.JPG
  • Nine-year-old McKayla McCarville stands in the staging area outside of the Burwell arena where the 85th annual Nebraska's Big Rodeo is held. McKayla's father, Kirk McCarville, brought her to the rodeo and McKayla said that she nervously watched him compete in the rodeo's wild horse race. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," 2013 Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger said. In its 92nd year, the rodeo continues strong and serves as an economic stronghold for a small community in the Sandhills of Nebraska. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop034.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi11.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi10.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi07.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi05.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi06.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi02.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi03.JPG
  • Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah and his brother Muhammad Abdullah comb the hair of their 18-month-old nephew Eli Carmichael with their brother-in-law Micheal McPherson (cq) in their family's home in Bessemer, Ala., on Saturday, May 10, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles15.jpg
  • Jackie Robinson West catcher, pitcher and infielder Brandon Green peaks through to see the crowd during a rally held in their honor at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. The Little League National Champions started with a rally at their home ballpark, rode in a 13.5-mile parade and finished off with a rally at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles14.jpg
  • Jackie Robinson West catcher and outfielder Darion Radcliff walks with teammates toward the first of two rallies held for the team in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. The Little League National Champions started with a rally at their home ballpark, rode in a 13.5-mile parade and finished off with a rally at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles12.jpg
  • Chicago Bulls College Preparatory students, from left, Chris Jackson, Ebelise Mathews, Sheanell Dotson and Victor Quezada practice a waltz during their sinfonietta orchestra class at their school in Chicago on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles11.jpg
  • Owner Nick Kokonas poses for a portrait in the front dining room of his Chicago restaurant Alinea on Friday, Nov. 28, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles10.jpg
  • Designer Paul Pierce poses for a portrait in Motorola's Chicago offices on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. Isaacs spearheaded the effort to produce the Motorola smartphone Moto X, which he is holding. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles09.jpg
  • Fred Lorenzen, who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January of 2015, poses for a portrait in his room at the Oak Brook Healthcare Center in Oak Brook, Illinois on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. Boston University will likely study Lorenzen's brain after his death. Lorenzen, who suffers from dementia, will likely be the first driver to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles07.jpg
  • Chicago, Illinois 2014<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles06.jpg
  • Cyclists ride along a rural road between New Delhi and Agra, India on Jan. 27, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles04.jpg
  • The wedding party erupts in laughter as the bride Shail Mehta, at center, loses a traditional contest that predicts who will be dominant in the new marriage. The Indian-American wedding took place in in Ahmedabad on Feb. 1, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles03.jpg
  • Rancher Randy Thompson owns land in Nebraska where TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline is proposed to cross. Thompson, who is a symbol of the opposition and one of the three landowner plaintiffs in Thompson v. Heineman, has had his likeness used on bumperstickers and t-shirt in the anti-pipeline slogan "I Stand with Randy" after he was arrested in Washington, D.C. for protesting the Keystone in 2013. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles02.jpg
  • Taylor Collins, 11, lifts her 5-year-old sister Chloie up to an ice cream truck so she can choose her dessert as their sister Gianna, 6, at left, watches in Marktown, an East Chicago neighborhood that is nestled next to an oil refinery.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles01.jpg
  • Vi Lane carries her great-grandson Tommy to check the mail during an eight-hour stretch of babysitting while his mother works outside of their Platte City home on Wednesday, September 24, 2014.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    FamilyCare13.JPG
  • During an eight-hour stretch of babysitting her great-grandson while his mother works, Vi Lane rests as she watches television at home in Platte City on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. Eight months ago, Tommy's mother Cyndi Perkins moved into Lane's home shortly after finding out she was pregnant with her second child.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    FamilyCare11.JPG
  • Hoping for an early bedtime, Cyndi Perkins helps her son Tommy Brown brush his teeth at her grandmother's home in Platte City on Tuesday, September 23, 2014.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    FamilyCare07.JPG
  • Tommy Brown eats burgers and fries for lunch at the Dairy Queen in Platte City with his aunt Jackie Perkins, left, and mother, Cyndi Perkins, on Friday, September. 26, 2014.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    FamilyCare06.JPG
  • Cindy Perkins visits the Social Services Department to enroll in the Uninsured Women's Health Services program in preparation for the upcoming birth of her daughter in Platte City on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014. Perkins is uninsured and will have to travel 35 miles south to the Research Medical Center, which is the only hospital that will accept the health care that the program provides.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    FamilyCare05.JPG
  • Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah sophomore running back Jared Shaw encourages senior quarterback Elliot Van Oss on the head as they prepares for the Resorters' game against Valley Christian on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah won 55-12 and finished the season undefeated. Also pictured are lineman Andrew Muller, at left, and running back Trevor Rebedew.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ELG11.JPG
  • From left, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah students Brittany Schmidt, Taylor Marie Poisson and Brittany Schneider take a break from dancing as the 2013 Homecoming King AJ Lallensack, at right, enjoys the Homecoming dance, which took place in the school's cafeteria on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ELG06.JPG
  • Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah sophomore running back Dyllan Konen has trouble focusing on U.S. History just hours before the Resorters' homecoming game against Valley Christian on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014. Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah won 55-12 and finished the season undefeated.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ELG04.JPG
  • As a train passes, the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah cheerleaders warm up the crowd before the Resorters' game against Maranatha Baptist in Watertown, Wisc., on Friday, Sept. 4, 2014. Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah won 43-12 and finished the season undefeated.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ELG03.JPG
  • From left, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah players Trevor Rebedew, Jared Shaw, Owen Kalbacken and Dyllan Konen prepare for their game against Maranatha Baptist during the national anthem in Watertown, Wisc., on Friday, Sept. 4, 2014. Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah won 43-12 and finished the season undefeated.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ELG02.JPG
  • From left, VLA students Asha Andrews-Hutchinson and Kwesi Brakwa roast marshmallows along the shores of the Yasika River during the farewell dinner and bonfire near Cabarete.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs11.JPG
  • Young children, including VLA student Jevron Hobbs Jr., at left, bridge the language divide with the global language of sport outside of the Pomier Caves Anthropological Reserve north of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs10.JPG
  • A young boy named Eduardo practices drums in Santiago de Los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. Behind Eduardo hangs a painting by the Dominican artist Ricardo Toribio who paints scenes celebrating life on the island, especially that of the native Tainos who European colonialists enslaved alongside African slaves imported in the 15th century. The country, and its neighbor Haiti, still struggle with racism and ethnic divisions, but art celebrating the lives of the descendants of slaves has found a new audience and acclaim.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs09.JPG
  • The American Peace Corps initiative Brigada Verde works with young Dominicans who are committed to preserving the environment, which has been adversely affected by the tourism industry. The brigade is part of Sirve Quisqueya, a coalition of groups that improve local youth leadership and participation in community projects. In the image, a young Dominican alerts his friend to the photographer’s presence while the boys escorted a group of young American tourists near the Jimenoa Waterfall near La Joya, Jarabacoa.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs06.JPG
  • The caves in El Choco National Park, near Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, have become an important part of the country's tourism industry, but conservationists worry about the long-term consequences tourism brings on the cave microclimates, which are affected by physical alterations, such as concrete paths and steel handrails, as well as climate changes in carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature altered by human presence. In the image, a candle lights a young Dominican boy named David who escorted a group of young American tourists.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs05.jpg
  • VLA student Jevron Hobbs Jr. rests on the grass outside of his hotel room after visiting the Sosua dump where homeless people sort garbage to be sold for about a dollar a day.<br />
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Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    BetweenUs03.JPG
  • Iowa National Guard Spc. John Kerschner, 46, hugs four of his daughters including, from left, Grace, 14, Gianna, 7, Gaela, 9, and Gladys, 11, outside of their home in Clearfield, Iowa. Kerschner served at Combat Outpost Dand Patan with Bravo Company of the 1-168th battalion of the Iowa National Guard. “I don't want to say it was an enjoyable experience” in Afghanistan, Kerschner said. “But it was a worthwhile one.” | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural01.JPG
  • Randy Thompson is photographed at 1860 West Bennet Road in Martell, Neb. on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. Thompson has become an unexpected spokesperson in matters concerning the pipeline and its route through Nebraska. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    RandyThompson01.JPG
  • After saying no for years to outreach workers who tried to coax him to live in an apartment rent-free, Omahan Mark Rettele, 52, finally agreed to give up living on the streets and sleeping on a concrete ledge under a bridge. Rettele sees the national program Housing First as a good start at a second chance in his often troubled life. "It's warm," he said of his apartment. "It's my own place." | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural09.JPG
  • Julie Medina, a prosecutor who specializes in domestic violence, poses for a portrait outside of the Douglas County Courthouse in Omaha, Neb. on Jan. 27, 2011. Medina, who was raped more than a decade ago, speaks at local schools, which now must comply with a new state law requiring them to educate middle and high school students about relationships and dating violence. "I learned really early on that I did nothing wrong," Medina said. "But if you keep it quiet, it lets these perpetrators continue." | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural14.JPG
  • Amber cuddles with Justis in the living room of their apartment at Family Works, a residential treatment program for expectant or new mothers, in Omaha on January 9, 2012. Through individual therapy sessions, Amber has learned how to connect emotionally with her daughter. "She looked like a little angel when she was born. Her head was so small and she was so tiny and so precious and very frail...and I couldn't believe that I did that to her," Amber said. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural10.JPG
  • Ruth Marimo, a native of Zimbabwe and mother of two, poses for a portrait as she cleans a condominium in downtown Omaha on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Marimo, whose ex-husband turned her into into immigration officials, spent a month in jail awaiting deportation, but was freed and allowed to stay in the United States. She has written "Freedom of an Illegal Immigrant," a book about her experiences. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural11.JPG
  • Seven-year-old twins America Perez, left, and Priscilla Perez pose for a portrait during the celebration of Mexican Independence near Plaza Latino on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Omahans gathered on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the plaza, near 24th and O streets, to celebrate Mexican and other independence days. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural08.JPG
  • Sgt. John Matheson, 45, of Omaha poses for a portrait near Musahi, south of Kabul, on Friday, April 15, 2011. This is the second deployment for Matheson, who is part of the 1-134th Calvary Squadron of the Nebraska National Guard HHT. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural06.JPG
  • Nine-year-old McKayla McCarville stands in the staging area outside of the Burwell arena where the 85th annual Nebraska's Big Rodeo is held. McKayla's father, Kirk McCarville, brought her to the rodeo and McKayla said that she nervously watched him compete in the rodeo's wild horse race. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    natural02.JPG
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan14
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan10
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan12
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan09
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan11
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan01
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan08
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Embed, Afghanistan05
  • Almost two weeks after a surgery to fix a torn ACL in her right leg, Leslie Walls is back at the game with her sons Colton Walls, 2, and Noah Walls, 9, outside of their home in Omaha on Friday, April 26, 2013. "These girls have worked so hard that it’s inspiring just to even watch them. It is heart wrenching not to be on the field, but it’s inspiring to watch from day one what they’ve put in to where they are now," Walls said.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL11.JPG
  • Leslie Walls grimaces in pain as she works through her first physical therapy session at Athletes' Training Center Sports Center and Physical Therapy in Omaha on Monday, April 19, 2013. Walls tore her medial patellofemoral ligament  -- MPFL -- on the first official practice in the fall of 2012. After surgery and about seven months of physical therapy, she returned to practice in March only to tear her anterior cruciate ligament -- ACL -- in the other leg. Walls said that, though she does have insurance through her work, the league does not help with the medical bills. "I hope maybe one day that they’re able to put in the money that these girls put out on the field for injury purposes," Walls said.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL10.JPG
  • Much to the fans' delight, Jacqueline Smyth, and Morgan Anderson, at right, are slammed into the wall while tackling Atlanta Steam's Nasira Johnson during the first half of the Omaha Heart's 42-6 loss to the Atlanta Steam in Gwinnett, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. In arena football, the field is narrow and only 50 yards long. Fans pay extra to be seated along the wall, which is considered in bounds unless a player is tackled against it. <br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL09.JPG
  • Morgan Anderson prays before the team's opening game against the Atlanta Steam in Gwinnett, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. "I couldn’t  imagine being done for the rest of my life out of competitive sports," Anderson said. "Nothing is compared to those games that actually count."<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL07.JPG
  • Hockey helmets and uniforms, which provide little coverage on the field, hang in the locker room before the Omaha Heart's opening game against the Atlanta Steam in Gwinnett, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The Legends Football League, formerly the Lingerie Football League, has moved away from the implications of its former name, though the uniforms remain scant.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL06.JPG
  • From left, Lindsay Burnham, Linsey Noble, SarahJane Thompson, Morgan Anderson, Nikki Koley and Ally Allen fix makeup and hair before the team's opening game against the Atlanta Steam in Gwinnett, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The away team travels to the arena on game day and participates in photo and video shoots all day until the game that evening. "We had to be a the airport, makeup and hair ready at 4:30 a.m.," Noble said. "We were on our feet all day."<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL05.JPG
  • SarahJane Thompson, at left, and Lindsay Burnham line up during drills as the Omaha Heart practice at Millard South High School's Buell Stadium on Thursday, April 4, 2013. The women wear youth shoulder pads during practice but have much flimsier shoulder pads in games. "Down the body, we are extremely exposed. We are still 100 percent tackling. We’re taking hits, we’re delivering hits, but we don’t have the luxury of having pads," defensive player Brittany Benson said.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL02.JPG
  • Amanda Hogan, at bottom right, and Morgan Anderson run up a hill during physical conditioning at the end of practice at Millard Central Middle School in Omaha on Thursday, April 25, 2013. "It’s been rough learning all of the new plays. I was hurt quite a bit in the beginning because it’s completely new movements that you’re learning," Anderson said.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL03.JPG
  • The Lingerie Football League (now the Legends Football League) players say that they are athletes first. The lingerie is, in their minds, an unfortunate necessity. Many admitted that sex appeal was the reason fans attended the game, but talk to any woman who’s played, and you’ll learn that it’s no powder puff or flag football. <br />
<br />
The players dedicate exhaustive effort, months of their time and thousands of dollars to a sport with little reward, to a league that takes more than it gives. Many players hope that one day the league won’t be about the sex appeal but instead a showcase for female athleticism.<br />
<br />
“People can get the impression it’s just a bunch of bimbos out here,” Omaha Heart quarterback Linsey Noble said. “Everyone has their own story. You can’t really judge people by the cover, by the book or the lingerie.” <br />
<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
Omaha Heart's Ashley Lambrecht, at center, dances with teammates including, from left, SarahJane Thompson, Linsey Noble, Morgan Anderson, Lindsay Burnham, Shawnte' Bunting and Kelsey Lane, before the team's opening game against the Atlanta Steam in Gwinnett, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. The Heart lost 42-6. "I love showing people that we’re real athletes. A lot of people doubt…It makes me so mad when they say, 'Is it powderpuff? Is it flag?' I’m just like, No! If you’ve seen it, then you’d know that we actually tackle. You’ve seen that it’s not just models or pretty girls just trying to play football. It’s pretty girls that have careers, that are moms that can actually play football and are good at it," Bunting said.<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    LFL01.JPG
  • Ruth Matlock, Senior Services Coordinator for Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership, poses for a portrait at the ENCAP office in Omaha on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. Matlock, who is 78, has worked for ENCAP since 1980, and she first started working when she was 11 years old. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    506515 Matlock01.JPG
  • East Butler Evan Sisel prepares to take on Hyannis's Emmett Hoover at 170 pounds before his upcoming first round match in Class D. Sisel pinned Hoover at 1:00 and went on to defeat Howells-Dodge's Brandon Wragge 6-3. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    10.JPG
  • Freeman High School's second-ranked Austin Ruskamp bares bloody teeth after pinning Anselmo-Merna senior Jake Wells, ranked No. 1 at 160 pounds in the Class D quarterfinal match. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    09.JPG
  • Omaha Artist Brian Tait poses for a portrait holding some of the hundreds of cigarettes, which he sketched every time he had an urge to smoke, inside of his workspace at Midtown Art Supply in Omaha on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. Tait quit smoking in preparation for his daughter's birth in May. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    08.JPG
  • McCook running back and offensive linebacker poses for a portrait below a McCook Bison emblem at Weiland Field in McCook on Wednesday, July 25, 2012. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    04.JPG
  • Griswold High School seniors, from left, Brandon Ridlen, Tyler Mosier and Keith Rush emerge from cornstalks near their school and practice field. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    03.JPG
  • Col. Tom Brewer poses for a portrait at the Nebraska State Capitol on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. Brewer has spent much of the last year in recovery after a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into his vehicle in Afghanistan in 2011. Brewer said he hopes to return to Afghanistan. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    02.JPG
  • Dale Duckert of Omaha poses for a portrait at the River City Record Collectors Club fall show at the Omaha Fire Fighters Union Hall on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013. "Unless you're a big time collector and a big time reseller, why, there isn't that much money in it. For hobbyists like me, it's just more fun than anything else. It's a chance to sell some records so you can afford to buy some others," Duckert said. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    01.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop008.JPG
  • Olivia Salm shares a secret with her boyfriend Mitchel Jensen during the homecoming dance, which took place in the school's cafeteria.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop006.JPG
  • More than 2,000 Iowans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Red Bulls patch emblazoned on their shoulders carried honor and tradition unparalleled in the National Guard, but for Afghans, who saw the devil in the horned silhouette, it symbolized fear. <br />
<br />
Stationed throughout Afghanistan, these soldiers saw more of the country than most Afghans will see in their lifetimes. Yet, the soldiers said that they came home with a hazier understanding of the conflict. They spoke of a struggle to understand America’s role in the region. Deployment was dangerous, but no one could guarantee that the risk and sacrifice would have a lasting effect on the Afghans’ lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    ASPprintshop001.JPG
  • “The Great Plains” is a collection of images examining life in what is often considered flyover land. |||<br />
<br />
Nine-year-old McKayla McCarville stands in the staging area outside of the Burwell arena where the 85th annual Nebraska's Big Rodeo is held. McKayla's father, Kirk McCarville, brought her to the rodeo and McKayla said that she nervously watched him compete in the rodeo's wild horse race. "This may be a small town, but it's got a big rodeo, and it's got a really big heart," Miss Burwell Rodeo Olivia Hunsperger said. In its 92nd year, the rodeo continues strong and serves as an economic stronghold for a small community in the Sandhills of Nebraska. <br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    zGreat Plains13
  • Rancher Randy Thompson owns land in Nebraska where TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline is proposed to cross. Thompson, who is a symbol of the opposition and one of the three landowner plaintiffs in Thompson v. Heineman, has had his likeness used on bumperstickers and t-shirt in the anti-pipeline slogan "I Stand with Randy" after he was arrested in Washington, D.C. for protesting the Keystone in 2013. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Portraits 07
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi09.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi08.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi04.JPG
  • Work in Progress: Elsie Eiler is the sole resident of Monowi, Nebraska's smallest town. She has been the mayor, the bartender, the tax collector and the settler of disputes for the town's tavern since her husband's death more than a decade ago. The once-booming railroad town now reflects the century of American life it contained: books collect dust in the one-room schoolhouse, tourists discard an empty beer case in the tall grasses along main street and old photographs reveal a glimpse of the people of the Great Plains.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    Monowi01.JPG
  • Notre Dame Leprechaun mascot John Doran leaps with joy during the Fighting Irish's 31-0 win over Michigan at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, in South Bend, Indiana. Doran wears Under Armour shoes, socks and undergarments, though his costume is custom made.<br />
<br />
Notre Dame has historically been a traditional institution but has busted out in a big way this year with a huge contract with Under Armour. They're providing loud flashy uniforms, a whole new look for their product line and they're not even one of the top companies in sports apparel.<br />
<br />
Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles17.jpg
  • 8/10/14 6:50:22 PM -- Chicago, IL, U.S.A  -- Sherelle Smith, at left, kisses her fiancee Keela Taylor after a mock wedding ceremony at the booth for the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago for the Northalsted Market Days on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Smith and Taylor plan to get married in June of 2015. The festival took place in Chicago's Boystown, the nation's first municipally recognized gay village. The once primarily gay neighborhood on the city's North Side has turned become a more straight, family driven neighborhood in recent years. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles16.jpg
  • Jackie Robinson West fans cheer on passing trollies carrying the team, family members and media in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. The Little League National Champions started with a rally at their home ballpark, rode in a 13.5-mile parade and finished off with a rally at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles13.jpg
  • Sand covers a dead migratory bird along the shore of Lake Michigan in spring. The cause of the death is unknown, though much flora and fauna suffered after a malfunction at a BP refinery a month prior caused a crude oil spill of at least 15 barrels into the lake. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles08.jpg
  • From left, Meg Lette finds a quiet moment as her sister Chelsea swings Sam, the baby of the family, during a family outing at Elmwood Park in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday, May 23, 2014. | Chicago Freelance Photographer | Alyssa Schukar | Photojournalist
    2014singles05.jpg
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