University of Iowa

A lifelong Iowan and 3L at the University of Iowa College of Law, Nick Goodenow has a long track record of serving others. His commitment to service began when he was young, continued throughout college, and will carry on through his new job as a public defender for the state of Colorado next year.

Building Iowa communities is an annual tradition for the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business marketing students. In recent years, they've helped Sioux City increase the number of residents who recycle, a coalition of western Iowa governments bring attention to their outdoor recreational opportunities, and developed a strategic marketing plan for Muscatine to rebrand itself.

To celebrate the ingenuity, resilience, and innovation of student researchers at the University of Iowa, the Office of the Vice President for Research is again sponsoring the Dare to Discover campaign. The annual program this year highlights the work of 70 undergraduate, graduate students and postdoc students who are making waves in disciplines across campus anging from writing and astronomy to medicine, public health, education, engineering and dentistry.

11 students will speak at commencement ceremonies to be staged at the University of Iowa beginning Dec. 15. About 1,800 students at Iowa will receive their degrees in events that will also be livestreamed, virtual commencement ceremonies, beginning with the College of Education's Undergraduate Commencement and Teacher Education Program Recognition Ceremony and concluding with the College of Engineering's undergraduate ceremony.

Six Hawkeyes were recognized at the First-Generation Student Awards and Recognition Ceremony as part of the weeklong National First-Generation College Celebration. The list of recipients included two students, Selveyah Gamblin and Isaac Sarinana.

Aline Thiengmany, a first-year medical student, says she has always been interested in a career in medicine. Her parents emigrated from Laos, and they raised Thiengmany and her younger sister. "It's confusing enough for people who were born here," Thiengmany says, "but it's very difficult for people who don't speak the language, aren't financially stable, or have low health literacy. Helping him navigate his health got me interested in medicine and working with marginalized groups as a health care provider."

Frankline Matanji is a recipient of the 2022 Global Student Award, which recognizes one undergraduate and one graduate student who are leaders deeply engaged in international education on campus or abroad. Matanji is a PhD student in mass communications with a focus in international/development studies, from Mumias, Kenya.

Ankeny, Iowa, native Adelaide Brooks has been awarded a 2022 David L. Boren Fellowship to study Arabic in Jordan. The international relations and French double major, minoring in Arabic, is currently studying in Jordan under the SIT Jordan Geopolitics, International Relations, and Future of the Middle East program. In addition to covering her current program, the Boren Fellowship will fund her enrollment at the Qasid Arabic Institute throughout the spring 2023 semester.

The "From the Front Row" podcast allows UI College of Public Health students an opportunity to hone their communication skills, meet thought leaders in the field, and educate the public on important topics.

The members of the University of Iowa's 2022 Homecoming Court represent a cross-section of the academic offerings available at Iowa with majors ranging from biochemistry and public health, to mathematics, psychology, and English and creative writing.

The University of Iowa is celebrating Homecoming this week and that means the 14-member executive council is busy, really busy.

Felix Pabon-Rodriguez is five years into the University of Iowa's biostatistics doctoral program in the College of Public Health, but until he was enrolled in a master's program in Puerto Rico, he was not aware of the field. "I knew there was biology, statistics and mathematics, and I really loved all of those areas separately, but I didn't know there was a specific field in biostatistics," he explained.

Nick Beattie he was able to combine his undergraduate experience with art history and his studies at the University of Iowa's School of Library and Information Science to complete a summer internship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Hector Sanchez Melendez made up his mind to study the brain and go to medical school. But as a neuroscience major at the University of Iowa, he has discovered a passion for research. Now, he wants to establish a lab back home.

At the University of Iowa, Guadalupe De La Rosa found an environment where she could push herself to be a leader, take part in the crucial cycle of mentorship, and better embrace her cultural background.

Ann Kreitman found community at the LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library, as well as a wealth of stories to tell in her work in the theater.

New York native Matthew McGregor came to Iowa to work on addiction and relapse research championed by faculty member Ryan LaLumiere because he found an inclusive, welcoming environment in the graduate program.

Third-year student Gursharan Virk recently became the first Air Force cadet granted permission to wear traditional Sikh garb as part of his military uniform.

Cielo Herrera, a freshman from Cedar Falls, was one of the speakers at the University of Iowa's annual convocation. She was selected to address her peers in Iowa's Class of 2026, the most academically accomplished class in the history of Iowa.

At the University of Iowa, Kaevon Merriweather has honed his skills on the gridiron, found a major that resonates with his career ambitions, and developed a project celebrating Black history.

While some theater graduate programs require students to focus on one specialty, the University of Iowa allowed Alastair Sigala Ramirez to pursue both of his passions.

As a toddler, Iowa student-athlete Kelby Telander was diagnosed with severe hearing loss. He recently talked about his experience and offered advice to kids who have hearing loss or stutter as part of a summer program.

One in five pregnant women face food insecurity. Upstream Initiative, a student-run program in a high-risk pregnancy clinic at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, aims to improve health outcomes by addressing the issue head-on.

Temyia Holcomb, a 2022 graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in speech and hearing science, and Evita Woolsey, a 2022 recipient of a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, recently received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Achievement Award. With this award, CLAS recognizes outstanding undergraduate students who are eligible for services from the Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence.

Graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics (PSET) were recognized at the inaugural Graduate Student Recognition event held on May 6, 2022, at the College of Pharmacy Building. After opening remarks by Department Chair and Professor Jonathan Doorn, students were honored for their outstanding publications, fellowship awards, masterful teaching assistantships, and overall scholar of the year.

After completing a bachelor's degree in dental surgery and a master's degree in health administration from Bangalore, India, Khyathi Gadag chose to apply to the University of Iowa's College of Public Health after conducting comprehensive research on the university's rankings, principles, and community.

25 students enrolled in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa recently received annual awards presented by the Department of Accounting.

As a University of Iowa computer science and percussion performance double major, Ben Stone finds joy in creating things-whether it's a musical performance or a piece of software. The fourth-year student and Des Moines, Iowa, native has put his programming and leadership skills to good use working at the Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC), which helps improve literacy skills for thousands of Iowa children each year.

Doctor of Pharmacy student Jose Rodriguez's dad was one of eight children of Mexican immigrants to Chicago. He has spent his working life as a Ford mechanic. Now, Rodriguez has charted a new path for his family: a college student.

Michaela Bobenhouse's orthodontist in Des Moines, Iowa, inspired her to become a dentist. Now, the third-year UI College of Dentistry student looks forward to creating strong connections with her own patients in the Hawkeye State.