Story: Emily Nelson
Photography: David Scrivner
Published: May 7, 2025
Megan Mindy is grateful to have found multiple opportunities to combine her interests in working in health care and working with the disability community while at the University of Iowa.
To start with, she’ll graduate this spring with a BS in public health and a minor in inclusive recreation.
“I started as a chemistry major and then I turned into a biochemistry major, but it still wasn’t the right fit for me. I'm a people person, and public health has been the most perfect fit,” Mindy says. “I’d been working in therapeutic recreation spaces for a long time, as a camp counselor and in adaptive sports. When I found out that there was a new minor called inclusive recreation, I knew it would be a great addition to my public health work.”
Mindy has been an intern at the University of Iowa Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and was one of the first undergraduate students to participate in the Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (ILEND) program.
She also traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, as part of a public health study abroad program in which she learned about disability culture, therapeutic recreation, and the country’s health care system as a whole.
“It was one of the most amazing things I’ve done while at Iowa,” Mindy says. “We also had a bunch of amazing hiking experiences, including at Table Mountain, which is one of the seven new natural wonders of the world. It was just a fantastic experience and has made me want to continue to travel and learn from other cultures.”
Mindy also started a business, Beyond Inclusion Co., which aims to empower athletes with disabilities by providing coach training and athlete-centered support to help them integrate into existing club sports teams. The venture earned her second place — and $1,200 — at the 2025 IdeaStorm Live Finale competition presented by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. She’s currently beta testing her curriculum with the Iowa Flyers Swim Club’s (IFLY) para/adaptive group.
“I have five athletes right now that I coach on Friday nights; it’s a lot of fun! I’m learning a lot about adaptive sports and how to level the playing field for people with disabilities so they can compete at the same level as their peers,” Mindy says.
Megan Mindy
Hometown: New Lenox, Illinois
Degree: BS in public health, minor in inclusive recreation
What’s next: “I’m trying to get my company, Beyond Inclusion, going. But no matter what I do, I hope to be working with people in the disability community and doing something that I love.”
What are some of your earliest memories on campus?
I lived in Burge Hall, and the first night I moved in, 40 or so girls on my floor all marched together to Insomnia Cookies downtown. And we all remember that and laugh about it when we see each other.
Also, my current roommate lived across the hall from me in Burge and asked one day to put her coffee creamer in my minifridge because hers broke. So I did, and now we’re best friends. But it's pretty funny that that's how we met.
What was your most memorable experience or your best memory?
I’ve taken a lot of lifetime leisure skills classes, including winter camping, backpacking, hiking. Expedition Canoeing was my most recent one. For spring break this year, I went with 12 other students at the university to Big Bend National Park and canoed 33 miles down the Rio Grande. It was the most amazing, spectacular experience I’ve ever had.
What provided you with the greatest sense of belonging while at the University of Iowa?
My friends. I spent a lot of time exploring my passions and interests and following those paths and seeing where those activities took me, and they led me to the most fantastic friends. It’s been so amazing having a network of people who really match me.
What is one of the most valuable things you learned?
Understanding how important it is to be true and authentic to yourself, and to share your dreams and what you're interested in with as many people as you possibly can. That’s how I ended up getting my internship at the University of Iowa Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, being in the ILEND program, and meeting these wonderful friends. I shared who I am as unfiltered as possible, and that's led me to all these great things.
Who was your most important mentor here, and what role did they play in your experience?
Sophie Switzer has helped me with so many things, and I owe a lot of the exciting things I'm doing to her help and guidance. And then Bri Swope and Chad Swope, who led the trip to Cape Town, South Africa. I had such an amazing experience, and I’m still very connected with both of them. They’re just such special people in my life now.
What advice would you give to future Hawkeyes?
I think as a freshman, the greatest thing you can do is experience as many things as you can and meet as many people as you can. Keep an open mind and challenge yourself to sit with someone you don’t know to learn about them. It’s going to teach you more about yourself than you think it will, and that will continue to improve your experience by helping you to inform your sense of self.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Thank you to my mom, my dad, and my siblings, Julia and Ryan. Thank you to all of my amazing friends and roommates. I couldn’t have done it without you, and you will be in my life forever. I love you all.