Two memorable walks have bookended Ryan Longenecker’s time at the University of Iowa.

The first came during On Iowa!, which provides a comprehensive introduction to campus life for first-year students. 

“I remember meeting a ton of new people and being really excited to be here on campus,” says Longenecker, who is from Bettendorf, Iowa. “I got to go to Kickoff at Kinnick and we made the ‘Block I,’ which was really fun. And I remember walking home from that thinking, ‘This is my place. I’m home. I’m ready to start classes here.’”

Four years later, as Longenecker prepared to graduate with a BA in political science and minor in Arabic, another walk made an impression.

“I was recently walking home from the library late one night, and as I was walking next to Old Capitol, I thought this might be the last time that I ever walk home late at night from studying at the library,” Longenecker says. “I’ve been walking around campus feeling some nostalgia and thinking about all the great memories that I have here.”

Why did you choose to study political science and Arabic?

I originally started out wanting to be an engineer when I was in high school, but I quickly found out that wasn’t really what I was passionate about. When the 2016 presidential campaign was gearing up, I knew that I was super invested in politics. I really cared about what happened to people and making a difference in my community and in others’ lives. So that sold politics for me.

I chose Arabic for two reasons. One, to challenge myself. Arabic is listed as the second hardest language to learn for an English learner right behind Mandarin Chinese. I also think that Middle East culture is interesting. It’s a really rich historical part of the world, so that all really kind of came together to help me decide on Arabic.

What is your most memorable experience from your time at Iowa?

I think one really special memory that happened just in the recent months was getting to be a part of the Hawkeye community while the Iowa women’s basketball team made their run to the national championship. It was just a cool time to be a Hawkeye, to cheer on our team, to see the national attention that our team was getting and that women’s basketball was getting, that it hadn’t necessarily gotten before. It was cool to come into class every day and talk with my fellow classmates about last night’s game and the next round. It was special and something that I’ll be telling people about for years to come. So, shoutout to the women’s basketball team.

What is something you found at Iowa you don’t think you would have found elsewhere?

Something that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else is the Hawkeye community. Iowa puts such an emphasis on creating a special atmosphere for its students, faculty, and staff. You feel like you’re a part of this massive community, even though there’s 22,000 undergrads. I constantly see people that I know walking around campus. I think that has afforded me opportunities professionally, personally, even emotionally to grow as a person, to find new things that I’m really interested in.

I don’t think other campuses have that same kind of connection. It’s been special to be a part of the Hawkeye family, and it’s something I know will continue as an alumnus. Every time I go to another state, every time I wear a Hawkeye shirt, I always hear somebody yell “Go Hawks!” at me. I know that will follow me wherever I go.

What has your work in student government and other organizations brought to your college experience?

My time in student government and all of the internships that I’ve been able to do here—on campus, in research, with political campaigns—have helped me to understand what I want to do post-grad as well as build the skills that I need to work in a professional environment. All these opportunities allowed me to connect with so many different people and build my network, so now as I’m looking for jobs, I’m able to ask people for advice, ask people to look over my résumé, and ask people to connect me with people in their networks.

I feel set to go after graduation and to continue doing the work that I really care about. I feel confident in that, and it’s all because of that community that I’ve been able to build here and all the opportunities that I’ve had at Iowa.

What is your favorite place on campus?

I would say my favorite place on campus is going to be the Voxman Music Building, because that was where I studied so much during a really solid portion of undergrad, especially when we were virtual. All the natural light really helped boost my mental health.

And then my other favorite place on campus has to be Kinnick Stadium. The atmosphere is amazing. I always loved walking in there to go hang out in the student section during games.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at the University of Iowa?

I think the most valuable thing I’ve learned is how to be myself. I came into college thinking that I had to follow the crowd, to do what other people were doing. I felt nervous about what other people would think of what I was doing. But Iowa helped teach me how to be confident in myself, to be OK being alone, and independent learning. It’s OK to go to the dining hall and eat lunch by yourself and not sit at a table full of people. I know that can be really scary for a lot of first-year students, but that’s totally OK. And so now, as I’m ready to go off into the world and into this next chapter, I feel confident in myself and able to decide things on my own and not be worried about what others think.