OMAHA, Neb. –Vickie Toney recently traveled across the country for the opportunity of a lifetime.  The Northern Arizona senior point guard was one of a select few to participate in a tour to meet with billionaire Warren Buffet organized through the W. A. Franke College of Business.

The one-day trip consisted of several tours of Buffet's businesses followed by a question and answer session with the 80 year-old billionaire.  Buffet, considered one of the richest men in the world, offers several groups of college students throughout the country an exclusive look at his businesses in Omaha.

"We were fortunate to meet a lot of important people Mr. Buffet worked with," Toney said of the tours.  "On each tour we had the opportunity to talk with a representative from each business.  The one thing I was so impressed with was how they all had the same values.  They had the same kind of feel for what they stood for and how to run their business. 

For Toney, the highlight of the trip was an hour and a half long question and answer session with Buffet.  The group of roughly 100 college students was given the opportunity to engage the legendary businessman with questions relating to his business and also his personal life.

"To be 80 years old he was such a good spirit and so sharp," Toney said of Buffet.  "He was such a modest person.  To be in the presence of someone of such great caliber was truly an honor.  He was open and honest and shared with us the things that are most important in his life.  He talked about his family and how he got to where he is.  It was great to learn about someone so successful.  It was an incredible experience."

Toney went on to share some of Buffet's insights and advice during the session.

"He was such a funny guy," said Toney.  "He had all these great quotes and sayings.  He also talked about the things most important to him.  He said everything you do you need to have passion for.  When you wake up in the morning to go to that job and do the things you need to do you don't look at it as a job.  You look at it as waking up happy to do something you love.  That was a memorable part."

After the session, Buffet invited the student's to his favorite restaurant in Omaha, Piccolo Pete's Restaurant.  He took time to get pictures with every student that wanted to visit with him one-on-one.

"That was amazing for him to do that," Toney said.  "From the start he told us he needed to be in Toronto in a few hours, but he was going to make sure he gave everyone a chance to take a picture.  And that is what he did.  He stood there for two hours.  I don't even believe he had a chance to sit down.  He was snapping pictures from the moment we got there till the moment everyone was done eating.  There were definitely some funny pictures.  He is such a fun guy and I am lucky I had the chance to experience what I did."

DID YOU KNOW…Northern Arizona senior David McNeill was selected as the Male Academic All-America® of the Year in the University division for the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Men's Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He is one of 12 student-athletes in the country to earn the title of Academic All-America of the Year in the university division, joining the likes of Florida's Tim Tebow in football, Kansas' Cole Aldrich in men's basketball and Connecticut's Maya Moore in women's basketball among the individual sport winners.