It’s a big responsibility, but one she embraces wholeheartedly.

“I love pushing myself outside my comfort zone and taking on leadership opportunities,” she said. “That's kind of how I’ve fallen into my other involvements at UNI. So I knew this is a great way for me to work on my leadership skills. That's how I knew it was for me.”

Gipple is a native of New Sharon, Iowa, majoring in elementary education with a minor in social and emotional learning. Her positive relationships with her teachers growing up and a fascination with child development led her to her major.

Gipple was already familiar with UNI — her older brother is an alum — but becoming a Panther herself has only deepened her love for the campus.

“I love the campus size,” Gipple said. “It's hard to walk to class and not see someone you know.”

From the time she was in high school, Gipple has always made being involved a priority. She believes her previous involvement with student government including being student body president helped prepare her for the student regent position.

Since coming to UNI, Gipple joined Alpha Phi sorority and Connecting Alumni to Students (CATS). She is an Honors student, serves as the vice president of marketing for the Panhellenic Executive Team and will be an orientation staff member this summer. Her engagement as a freshman caught the attention of Jenny Connolly, director of the College of Education Academic Advising and Teacher Education Success. A few months ago, Connolly texted Gipple to ask if she would be interested in an opportunity that would require a Zoom meeting with UNI President Mark Nook. Gipple had no idea what was in store, but she agreed to the call.

The Iowa Board of Regents is comprised of nine board members, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the state Senate. They govern the three Regent universities and have numerous meetings a year. Gipple will attend each of these meetings where she can voice student concerns and opinions. She will connect with students from other schools when meetings are held on other campuses and communicate with students via email. 

Until that Zoom call with President Nook, Gipple admits she was not very cognizant of the activities of the Board of Regents. 

“I had heard of the Board of Regents, but I didn't understand their work at all,” she said.

Since accepting the role, she’s dived into meeting notes and current issues in higher ed, determined to be an informed and effective voice. Ahead of the first meeting, she admits she was nervous, but the support of her fellow regents set her at ease.

“The biggest learning curve has been much goes into running a college,” she said. “As an everyday college student, I don't always appreciate what I have. So it's made me a lot more grateful and all the people that go into making these decisions happen for the betterment of the student population.”

Each Regent university takes a turn nominating someone from its student body to serve on the Board. Gipple’s term will conclude in 2027 at the end of her junior year. She is excited to see the impact she will have on making the three Regent universities better places for students to thrive.

“I am really excited to get to know all the state universities,” said Gipple. “I love UNI with my whole heart, but we also have a great health care college at the University of Iowa. Iowa State agriculture is fantastic. All the state schools have their highlights, and so I love getting to know them better.”