Always a Hawkeye: Alumni stories

Iowa photojournalism grad looks for new angles
After an award-winning stint as a photographer with "The Daily Iowan" and the opportunity to document a historic women’s basketball tournament run, Grace Smith is continuing to pursue creative visual storytelling — and to photograph a favorite Iowa baller.

A holistic view of children’s health
Medicine alumna Amy Shriver uses her role as a pediatrician to help families learn how focusing on social connection, family reading time, and more can contribute to kids’ mental and physical health.

Becoming a writer no laughing matter for Harper Steele
The Emmy Award–winning writer who penned sketches for ‘Saturday Night Live’ might have pursued another career had it not been for a class she took at the University of Iowa.

Iowa grads share new film at their Quad Cities theater
Directing and screenwriting partners Scott Beck and Bryan Woods say a class they took at the University of Iowa about nonverbal communication continues to inspire their screenwriting — even in a film with as much talking as “Heretic.”

From Cubs dreams to Hawkeye success
Brandee Britt leads social media strategy for 22 Hawkeye sports teams — and it’s all because an internship while a University of Iowa student changed her career path.

From farm migrant beginnings to full-fledged scientist
Jorge Moreno is on a dizzying life ascent. The University of Iowa alumnus was born into a migrant family and entered Iowa as a first-generation student. After faltering initially, he has earned multiple degrees and now is a research scientist attempting to unlock the molecular secrets to immortality.

The quiet pleasures of a career in rural medicine
Carver College of Medicine grad Kyle Glienke reflects on his calling to rural and agricultural medicine and his place in Storm Lake, Iowa — the community he loves.

UI alum innovating health care delivery in southeast Iowa
Maria Story, MD, has launched two significant programs while working with Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center: one bringing a home hemodialysis option to southeast Iowa for the first time, and one to help primary care physicians follow patients with chronic illness more effectively and efficiently from home.

Paying it forward as a physician assistant
Jenny Stegen got exactly what she needed at the University of Iowa to return home to northeast Iowa and give back to her community — an education in a top-notch physician assistant training program.

From near-fatal accident to college graduate
Four years after suffering massive head trauma in an automobile accident, requiring lengthy surgery and facial reconstruction at UI Health Care, Maggie McQuillen left the Carver-Hawkeye Arena stage as a University of Iowa grad.

Biostatistics unites the Seedorff brothers
Through their academic work in biostatistics at the University of Iowa, three Iowa siblings with a love for numbers and problem-solving have found enriching — and different — career paths.

Mission-driven MBA
Former Navy SEAL Luke Fenner, a graduate of the UI Tippie College of Business MBA program, uses his degree to help wounded warriors.

Unconventional path leads med alum to healing, mentorship
Many physicians feel the calling to practice medicine from early childhood. For those with no physicians in their families, the decision is often less obvious. Iowa alum Allie Kim shares the story of hard work and self-discovery that led to her dream job.

Hawkeyes leading the way in health care administration
The University of Iowa College of Public Health trains its students to meet the challenges and opportunities associated with working in the health care field. Meet two Hawkeyes who are putting what they learned into practice in rural Iowa health care facilities.

Hawkeyes providing health care in Antarctica
Two University of Iowa medicine alumni met by chance while serving patients in one of the most remote environments on Earth.

A third generation provides dental care in Fort Dodge
In deciding to be a dentist, Amy Seehusen became yet another generation of her family to attend the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and practice in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Artist’s work lights up Iowa City
Ali Hval, an alumna and lecturer in the School of Art and Art History, brings her public art onto the pedestrian mall with “Scribble Trees.”

10 books published in 2023 by Iowa grads
Not sure what book to dive into next? For your consideration, here is a shortlist of titles released in 2023 by University of Iowa grads, including the latest winner of the National Book Award for Fiction.

Ethics and education in the emergency room
University of Iowa alumnus Nick Kluesner, MD, is using his background in philosophy to make his mark on the future of health care in Iowa.

Hawkeye lands role as a top storyteller for the NFL
Kimmi Chex says she shot for the stars and landed on them. The popular NFL on-air personality and analyst says what she learned at the University of Iowa helped get her there.

A sound career choice for sisters
Not only did all three sisters in one family study audiology and speech-language pathology, but each also earned admission to the highly ranked and highly selective clinical doctoral program in audiology at the University of Iowa.

Medicine alum answers call to serve western Iowans
Ericka Muhlbauer sees her family medicine practice in Carroll as a way to repay her community for helping her achieve her dream of being a physician.

Iowa poet gives new voice to 1960s girl groups
A longtime fan of doo-wop, University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Emily Sieu Liebowitz became frustrated when she found background information elusive on groups such as the Shirelles and the Ronettes, despite their hit singles. So she decided to write a book.

Bringing advanced pharmacy care to rural southeast Iowa
Mylo Wells always knew he wanted to return to his Iowa hometown as a pharmacist. The University of Iowa gave him the skills he needed to serve his community and open his own pharmacies.

Write it down: We change the game
At the University of Iowa, Hawkeyes are changing people’s lives or changing the game completely — storybook scenarios befitting of the best public university for writing and communication.

Noted archaeologist to receive honorary degree
Shirley Schermer became a worldwide leader in the respectful treatment of ancestral remains through her work in the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist.

Transformative artist to receive honorary degree
Iowa alumnus Oliver Lee Jackson’s paintings, sculptures, and prints have been exhibited in museums across the country—including the campus where he began to find his voice.

The MBA program that knows no boundaries
With online and in-person options, the Iowa MBA is the top-ranked offering in Iowa, training business leaders in counties across the Hawkeye State (and beyond).

Practicing humanity in medicine around the globe
Carver College of Medicine alumnus Rufus Kruse practiced internal medicine in Marshalltown, Iowa, for 35 years, becoming an integral member of the community with a reputation for providing thoughtful patient care.

Alumna donates kidney to fellow Hawkeye
Serendipity led Christine Hayes to become a living organ donor to her Iowa City neighbor with polycystic kidney disease. More than a year after the transplant surgery occurred at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, both are doing well.

Alumnus finds rewarding surgical career in rural Iowa
As a teenager, University of Iowa graduate Jesse Van Maanen knew he wanted to be a surgeon. What he didn’t know is that he would end up practicing in a hospital 10 minutes from where he grew up.

Family of doctors provide family care in rural Iowa towns
Four members of the Ahrendsen family graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and now practice in Clarion and Storm Lake, Iowa.

Small town a perfect fit for family of doctors
When residents of Clarion, Iowa, go to the doctor, it’s possible they will be seen by one of three members of the same family—Jon Ahrendsen or his daughter and son-in-law, Andrea and Michael McLoughlin.

Finding fulfillment in family medicine
Elizabeth Dupic’s goal was always to practice family medicine in a small town — like her father and sister before her. After she graduated from the University of Iowa, she found a perfect fit in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Radiologist’s priority: Making connections
Quad Cities physician and UI grad Christine Walsh combined her interest in radiology—typically a “behind the scenes” role in medicine—with her passion for forming trusting, long-term relationships with patients.

A ‘Whale’ of a tale
Iowa Playwrights Workshop grad Samuel D. Hunter talks about writing his deeply personal play, “The Whale,” and adapting it for film—one that’s generating buzz this awards season.

’22: Another banner year for UI writers
Another year, another bounty of books from University of Iowa writers. Enjoy this cross section of titles published in 2022, all written by artists with ties to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Dance studio dream takes shape in Iowa grads’ home state
Amanda Gustafson and Aunica Harvey are teaching hundreds of Iowa children to dance in their own studio, which they opened soon after graduation with help from the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.

Olympic-size dream began at Iowa
Former Hawkeye runner Sarah (Arens) Wilhelmi now works to build bridges between college athletes and Team USA Olympians and Paralympians.

Hawkeyes create the coolest stuff
University of Iowa grads are no strangers to Hollywood. Alumni of the Writing University have put their stamp on the entertainment world, delivering critical and commercial successes to screens big and small.

Hawks fly over Kinnick. Literally.
Two University of Iowa alumni, Lt. Col. Nicholas Edwards and Lt. Col. Michael Lynch, were at the controls of the Air Force jets that flew over Kinnick Stadium before the football game against Penn State. The moment that thrilled 70,000 fans in the stands was incredibly meaningful to the two Hawkeyes in the air.

Avery Bang is building more than bridges
Through the nonprofit organization she leads, the 2007 University of Iowa engineering graduate is connecting people in isolated communities across the globe to opportunity and prosperity.

Iowa City: Little town, big on writing
The University of Iowa’s longtime renown and excellence in creative writing contribute to city’s international reputation as a writer’s haven.