Always a Hawkeye: Alumni stories

University of Iowa grad Grace Smith taking a selfie in front of the Indy Star logo on a wall

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.
Amy Shriver with her daughters and husband

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.
Harper Steele sitting in a theater

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.
Two men directing an actress in a living room set

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.”
A woman smiling for a photo with a basketball court in the background

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.
A man standing in front of a tall building while smiling

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.
A family of five standing in font of a soccer net

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.
A doctor standing outside a hospital while smiling

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.
A woman standing on a balcony with a forest in the back

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.
a portrait of UI graduate Maggie McQuillen

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.
Three men standing together outside

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.
A man staring off into the distance and smiling

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.
A family standing together near a lake

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.
A man standing in front of an emergency room

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.
Two men standing outside of a hospital smiling

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 family of five sitting outside on a blanket

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.
A woman smiling with many different colored lights behind her

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.”
An open book sitting on a lectern

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.
A smiling man leaning against a pillar

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.
a woman standing in front of a backdrop with a roadmap

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.
Three women standing together outside a hearing center

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.
A physician talking to her patient

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.
a portrait of a woman on a shaded pedestrian mall

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.
A man leaning on a counter and smiling

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.
caitlin clark celebrating while confetti falls around her

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.
A woman with a microphone talking to a group of people

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.
A man standing in front of a colorful mural

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.
A woman leaning on a sign and smiling

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).
A man sitting in an Iowa themed chair

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.
A group of people standing in front of a wall with many different cards on it

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.
A doctor in scrubs leaning against a hospital bed

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.
four members of a family posing together outside

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.
four members of a family posing together outside

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.
Liz Dupic holding a baby

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.
a family of five (mom, dad, three kids) stand outdoors for a portrait

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 man looking off into the distance stoically

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.
An open book sitting on a lectern

’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.
two women in a dance studio

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.
University of Iowa alumna Sarah Wilhelmi posing outdoors at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

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.
A group of four people holding trophies

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.
university of iowa alumni nicholas edwards and michael lynch took part in the flyover before the iowa-penn state game at kinnick stadium

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.
university of iowa alum Avery Bang in her office

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.
A pillar dedicated to writers

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.