Emily Clouser

When Emily Clouser climbed the narrow stairs of the University of Northern Iowa’s Campanile, she wasn’t simply heading to practice, but stepping into nearly a century of UNI history. 

As a member and later president of the UNI Guild of Carillonneurs, Clouser became deeply connected to one of the university’s most treasured traditions. And when the Campanile underwent a major renovation in 2022-23 and the carillon expanded, she found herself playing another important role: helping the campus community experience the historic project. 

Clouser worked closely with the university throughout the renovation, becoming a student voice for the project through social media, marketing campaigns and interviews. She helped share updates with the campus community and bring people behind the scenes of the work taking place inside one of UNI’s most recognizable landmarks. 

While attending an academic conference in Cincinnati, Clouser organized a visit to The Verdin Company, where UNI’s bells were being restored. She documented the experience and created behind-the-scenes content that helped bring the story of the restoration back to campus.

As a fourth-generation Panther from Waukee, Clouser arrived at UNI already carrying a family legacy. But during her four years on campus, she created a story of her own through leadership, lots of music and a commitment to the university community. 

Graduating in 2024 with a degree in choral music education, Clouser was known for embracing opportunities across campus. She taught piano lessons, accompanied choirs such as the UNI Glee Club, and mentored students as a resident assistant.

The Campanile and its carillon, however, offered something she couldn’t find anywhere else.

“I just loved being in the building and hearing all the history and seeing all the brick and the unique aging of the inside of the tower,” she said. “And, of course, the clock mechanism is super cool to see with all the gears and technology there.”

Those moments gave her a connection not only to UNI’s history but also to memories with her family she will cherish forever. 

One memory in particular stands out.

“Getting to have my grandma sit there at the bottom while I was playing up top and just seeing all the pride on her face when I came down will forever be one of my favorite memories,” she said. “It was just huge for me to get to have someone who cares so much about UNI and is very proud of the education she got here to see me up there playing from inside the Campanile.”

Her leadership and service to UNI was recognized with one of UNI’s highest student honors when she was selected as a 2024 Lux Service Award recipient. 

But for Clouser, the most meaningful part of her college experience wasn’t the awards or accomplishments; it was the connections she made along the way. 

“Any university can give you textbook knowledge and information, but only UNI could give me the relationships with peers and professors that I need to be successful in my field, and the confidence needed to step into my first day of a career and know that I am far more prepared than what I could ever imagine,” she said. 

Today, Clouser is passing that knowledge on to the next generation as a 6-12 vocal music teacher at Panorama Community Schools. In the classroom, she brings the same passion for music and community that shaped her time at UNI.