Meet the fall 2025 grads
Meet the fall 2025 grads
It’s time for hundreds of Panthers to complete their degree requirements and start their next chapters. Whether our grads are going on to advanced degrees or starting their time in the workforce, we’re so proud of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see where their futures take them.
Check out some of our graduating seniors below!
Adam Holmberg
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Majors: Supply Chain Management and Management: Business Administration
Post-graduation plans?
I am joining Intertrade, a Collins Aerospace Company, as a procurement analyst in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
What excites you about your post-graduation plans?
It has been a dream of mine to work in either the aerospace or automotive industries after school, and joining Intertrade is a fantastic opportunity to begin my career in the aerospace aftermarket space.
What skills and experiences from your major will be the most helpful for your future career?
The business curriculum has prepared me well for working in a team environment. Group projects and the real-world problem-solving in my supply chain classes have challenged me and really taught me how to think critically and make sound decisions in a workplace. Along with the networking skills I gained from the Professional Readiness Program and my involvement in student organizations, I feel ready to succeed anywhere I go after college.
Jessica McMurrin
Hometown: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Program: Master of Arts in Community Health & Recreation
How did you become interested in your major?
I filtered through my passions, scrolled through the UNI majors and found Community Health & Recreation. My passions are youth and psychology. I was able to merge the two in this major.
Who has impacted you the most?
My GA supervisor, Dr. Kathy Scholl, has been very helpful with future plans, current projects and my research paper. My research advisor, Dr. Kelsey Bourbeau, has also been a huge help and an encourager through my academics, research and life in general.
Richard Nissen
Hometown: Packwood, Iowa
Majors: Theatre Performance & Theatre for Youth and Communities
Minor: Creative Writing
Post-graduation plans?
I am excited to travel to Minneapolis and pursue work in children’s theatre!
What excites you about your post-graduation plans?
The head of the department, William Hickman, once said to a group of graduate students, “You’ve done great things here, and I’ve seen all of you grow. And now you’re too big for a place like this. So get out there and find new oceans to make a splash in. And tell us how it goes.”
As I prepare to head into a city larger than any other space I’ve lived in, I am so excited because I know it will be a difficult adjustment with lots of obstacles I’ll need to adapt to and overcome - and I am so excited because it will be a challenge. UNI has done a brilliant job teaching me that you don’t grow as a person from taking the easy path, you grow in the face of difficulties. I want to face the hardships and tough decisions that are inevitable with a grand transition such as graduation because I know the person I’ll be on the other side is a stronger person than I am today, similar to how the person I am today is vastly different than the young man who first enrolled four years ago.
How did UNI prepare you for your post-graduation plans?
UNI’s Theatre program does a beautiful job of providing an all-around education. I am a self-described performer and facilitator, yet the scenic design classes offered have allowed me to work multiple summers as a head carpenter for other theatre companies - a massive opportunity I couldn’t have been prepared for by other schools.
I performed in UNI’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” It was fun, but inevitably a lot of work. We’d already been rehearsing for over a month, and were at the point of the rehearsal process where, despite how tired we all were, rehearsal would become longer as the performance date approached. And our director as well as professor from the department, Matthew Weedman, thanked us for all of our labor and said, “You guys have done so much good work. And in theatre, you know what the reward for good work is? More work.” And we all smiled and laughed, because that’s exactly what we wanted. That play, and so many other projects I’ve committed time to at UNI, have taught me the importance of perseverance and discipline.
McKenna Pierce
Hometown: Grimes, Iowa
Majors: Political Science and Public Administration
Minors: Legal Studies and Criminology
Post-graduation plans?
Working toward my Master’s in Public Administration starting in the fall of 2026.
Who impacted you the most at UNI?
Dr. Jayme Renfro was extremely influential during my time here and helped me get more involved, including helping to form the club Women in Public Service with a classmate. This is a club for students who want to serve their communities and work together to build leadership skills!
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Get involved on campus! There are so many opportunities and clubs to join that help you meet people and allow you to gain more experiences!
Brody Rowedder
Hometown: Harlan, Iowa
Major: Social Science Teaching
Minor: Sports Administration
Post-graduation plans?
My post-graduation plans are to seek substitute teaching opportunities during the spring semester while I search and apply for full-time teaching positions in Iowa.
How did UNI prepare you for your post-graduation plans?
UNI prepared me well through the hands-on experiences offered by both my major and minor. Getting into actual schools and classrooms allowed me to connect what I learned in my courses with actual practice. I also had the opportunity to intern with Athletics at Cedar Falls High School through my minor, which has been one of the most valuable experiences of my college career. These experiences helped me build practical skills, grow in confidence, and understand the realities of education - preparing me for a full-time role as an educator.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
Your college experience can be as great as you make it. Get involved, make friends, and take advantage of the opportunities UNI offers. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone, try new things, and ask for help when you need it. For education majors, especially, get involved in local schools early and often; you can learn something new every day.
Macy Smith
Hometown: Waverly, Iowa
Major: Management: Business Administration
Minor: Sports Administration & Economics
Post-graduation plans?
Field sales and marketing representative for TTI in Waterloo, Iowa
How did you become interested in your major?
I ran a coffee shop in my high school and had a passion to own my own business someday.
What did you enjoy most about attending UNI?
I enjoyed playing on the UNI Women's Soccer Team. It allowed me to meet my lifelong best friends and make connections with other schools through the sport. Also, I enjoyed studying abroad twice, once to Australia and once to Italy.
Catherine Zartman
Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Biology
Post-graduation plans?
I do not know for sure what I will be doing, but I hope to be doing work in the industrial side of chemistry so that I can continue to be able to work in a lab environment.
What brought you to UNI?
I wanted to go to college in Iowa, and I visited UNI. I fell in love with the campus and really liked how it was still a medium college. I felt it would give me more opportunities to connect with my professors and classmates who were going for a similar degree as me. I also liked UNI's Exploratory Program for undecided majors, because when I was originally applying to college I had yet to know what I wanted to do.
How did you become interested in your major?
I have always had a small interest in chemistry. It was after I had been accepted to UNI that I decided to pursue that interest and go for a chemistry major. What made me keep being a chemistry major was my professors and the discovery that I loved being in a chemistry lab.
