College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Stories & News

UNI campus

UNI helps bring Cedar Valley fashion and cultural event to Waterloo

The Cedar Valley’s biggest event of the year promoting fashion and culture returns this weekend, thanks to a partnership between the University of Northern Iowa and local leaders.

UNI senior Lindsey Hubbell in a kayak.

Mapping out a career

Senior Lindsey Hubbell got a summer job that allowed her to kayak on Lake Okoboji thanks to UNI’s GeoTREE center. And she’s not the only student at the center tackling real-world projects in the booming field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
UNI alum Keyaira Miller

UNI grad realizes her fashion dreams

Keyaira Miller is making her mark in the fashion world. In April, oversaw the launch of Amazon’s new Gen Y fashion brand, Wild Meadow, and this September, she will launch her own line of children’s clothes.
A village in the Arctic.

UNI researchers point to global COVID-19 lessons in the Arctic

In a study published this week in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, University of Northern Iowa researchers examine COVID-19’s impact on Indigenous populations in the Arctic and how it could be crucial to addressing the pandemic both today and in future epidemics.  
Walnut Street church

Bringing new life to a Waterloo icon

UNI alumni, faculty and students have joined a local effort to restore the beloved Walnut Street Baptist Church in Waterloo and bring the iconic buildings back to life as a community center.  
Belinda Creighton-Smith

Community organizer, UNI instructor reflects on Juneteenth

With the passage of a long-awaited, landmark bill that made Juneteenth, which celebrates the emancipation of African-American slaves shortly after the end of the Civil War, a federal holiday, Inside UNI spoke with local pastor and instructor in the department of social work Belinda Creighton-Smith about the long-celebrated day. Creighton-Smith spoke about the role the murder of George Floyd played in increasing national attention on Juneteenth, the local celebrations planned and the racial issues in society that still need to be addressed. 
Statue of Hannah Duston

Re-examining history

UNI history professor Barbara Cutter has received national media attention for her research on recontextualizing the history behind a Massachusetts sculpture of Hannah Duston, a 17th century English colonist who murdered 10 Native Americans, including two women and six children.
UNI student Ariane Hakizamana

Fighting for her goals

Running past bullets and crossing oceans to escape genocide in her home country, Ariane Hakizimana grew up in survival mode. But at UNI, she found a supportive community that helped give her the skills to thrive — and keep fighting for her goal of helping others.
UNI graduate Sarah Boury

UNI grad beats the odds and rare condition to graduate

Sarah Joanne Boury overcame huge challenges that few can imagine to walk the stage May 7 for her diploma and to turn the tassle on her graduation cap.

Indeed, the 23-year-old Des Moines, Iowa, native is believed to be the first to graduate from college — having earned a double major — while deaf (using one cochlear implant), breathing with one lung and sustaining herself through a tube-feeding system.UNI student Sarah Boury 

The 2021 Lux Service Award winners

Lux award winners leaving a legacy at UNI

The pandemic made this past academic year one unlike any other for University of Northern Iowa students.

But those challenges didn’t stop students from making an impact on campus.

The Lux Service Award is the most prestigious award given to graduating senior students each academic year to acknowledge the culmination of their overall involvement. Recipients consistently go above and beyond, leaving a lasting legacy upon graduation. 

This year, seniors Ayah Al-Durazi, Cassie Hendrix and Zoella Sneed were recognized with the award.