The Hawkeye you’ll hear during halftime
University of Iowa alumna Virginia Wangechi Muturi feels especially connected to the message in Iowa’s new “halftime commercial,” and not just because she provides the voice-over.
“We talk about the university as the home of great writing and communication, but it also highlights the arts,” says Muturi, who graduated in May 2023 with a BA in theatre arts and enterprise leadership. “I’m especially excited for that to be put out there because we have such a great arts campus, and I’m a product of our wonderful arts campus.”
The University of Iowa has played a big role in Muturi’s life—even before she was born. Her mother and aunts immigrated to the United States from Kenya to attend the university. Still, she didn’t always want to be a Hawkeye herself.
“I wanted to move away after high school,” says Muturi, who was born and grew up in Iowa City. “But then I met some of the graduate actors in the theater program, and they made me realize how much the department had to offer.”
Muturi also knew she wanted to study some aspect of business. Her advisor suggested enterprise leadership; Muturi quickly realized that was everything she wanted from a business degree.
As for the theatre arts department, Muturi says it completely lived up to its billing.
“The shows that I was a part of, the people that I met, the festivals that I was involved in, and the family that I gained—there are so many opportunities in the theater program,” Muturi says.
While theater took up much of her time, Muturi says she also took advantage of other opportunities offered on campus.
“I took all the Swahili classes because I’m Kenyan and I really love the language, to the extent that I was able to be a Swahili tutor,” Muturi says. “I was also involved in Black Student Union, African Student Association, Janice Improv, and Theatre Student Representatives.”
She also found work on campus as a student video producer in the Office of Strategic Communication. Knowing that Muturi was an actor, OSC Video Coordinator Clarity Guerra asked her to do voice-over for one of the videos.
“We started with a video during the pandemic, and then anytime there was an opportunity to voice-over something, they would ask me to come record,” Muturi says.
“A large part of this television spot is about our arts, our bestselling authors, Oscar- and Emmy-winning screenwriters, directors, and producers. And I beat my chest a little bit on that because I’m from where all these successful people in the arts are from.”
Muturi says she looks forward to the television spot airing for the first time.
“I did a voice-over once for Hancher, and my neighbor texted me saying he heard my voice on the radio,” Muturi says. “It’s just so fun. I love it so much.”
After finishing a programming and engagement internship at Hancher Auditorium at the end of August, Muturi will move to New York City to continue pursuing her acting career.
“I’m looking forward to dreaming big and really going for it,” Muturi says.
As Muturi follows her dreams, she knows she is walking in the footsteps of great Iowa alumni before her.
“A lot of people might know the University of Iowa for its sports—our women’s basketball team, our football team,” Muturi says. “But a large part of this television spot is about our arts, our bestselling authors, Oscar- and Emmy-winning screenwriters, directors, and producers. And I beat my chest a little bit on that because I’m from where all these successful people in the arts are from.”
