Alumni Stories & News

Waterloo mayor and UNI alum Quentin Hart.

Waterloo mayor, a UNI alum, is building bridges

Elected five years ago as the first African-American mayor in Waterloo’s 147-year history, UNI graduate Quentin Hart has focused ever since on building bridges.

UNI alum Mara Warnke

UNI alum helps address food insecurity in the wake of COVID-19

Food banks across the country experienced a surge in demand when coronavirus first hit the US and that need hasn't let up. In the Cedar Valley, UNI alum Mara Warnke '18 is helping to make sure families stay fed throughout this uncertain time.

Warnke is pantry services manager for the Cedar Valley Food Pantry (CVFP) in Waterloo, a program of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank (NEIFB). After coming on as a part-time pantry services assistant in 2018, she moved into her role as manager in March — just as coronavirus was first starting to make its way to Iowa. 

UNI alumna Jane Elliott

UNI alum Jane Elliott reflects on legacy of anti-racist work

Now 86 and living on a remote green patch of Northern Iowa countryside, famed anti-racist and University of Northern Iowa alumna Jane Elliott may seem an unlikely candidate for viral videos and social media clout. 

Coca-cola cans

UNI interior design students' work wins raves from Coca-Cola

As one of the world’s most recognizable brands, Coca-Cola routinely works with top-tier design firms. Even against that backdrop, when its North American division recently teamed up with UNI’s Advanced Design Studio II class to create a new in-store fixture, merchandising directors were left impressed. 

UNI diploma

Meet the next generation of Panther graduates

While COVID-19 forced an unimaginable end to the semester, our graduating seniors continued to impress with their academic brilliance, strong relationships with faculty and other students, and wide variety of out-of-class experiences to create a strong foundation for their future. These are but a few of our promising Class of Spring 2020 graduates:

UNI graduate Molly ClineName: Molly Cline

Hometown: West Des Moines

UNI graduating senior Joseph Tibbs works in the lab.

Three journeys from UNI to graduate school

The University of Northern Iowa prepares students for many avenues of success, including in graduate school. Here we highlight a few talented members of the Class of 2020 whose UNI experience helped them achieve their goals in higher education. 

Joseph Tibbs​

University of Northern Iowa diploma

Meet the next generation of Panther graduates

While COVID-19 forced an unimaginable end to the semester, our graduating seniors continued to impress with their academic brilliance, strong relationships with faculty and other students, and wide variety of out-of-class experiences to create a strong foundation for their future. These are but a few of our promising Class of Spring 2020 graduates:

UNI graduate Lauren LuceName: Lauren Luce

Hometown: Iowa City

Mickye Johnson

Retired UNI Upward Bound director reflects on a lifetime of inspiration

Growing up in a tight-knit neighborhood community in Waterloo, Wilfred “Mickye” Johnson learned the importance of helping your neighbor. Johnson has 12 siblings, and his parents often struggled to make ends meet. But his community’s generosity helped his family thrive and instilled values in Johnson that guide him even today.

“Everybody uses the phrase, ‘It takes a village…’ and we truly had a village that raised all of us,” Johnson recalled. “We would share everything we had. ... We knew we were loved by our family and by the total community.”

UNI alumna Sheri Greenawald

UNI alumna leaves lasting legacy on national opera scene

Her story almost sounds like a made-for-TV movie — a young girl from small-town Iowa is hand-picked by an instructor from the famed Juilliard School of Music to pursue a career in New York City under her guidance. It might sound too good to be true, but that’s actually what happened to UNI alumna Sheri Greenawald ‘68. 

University of Northern Iowa alumnus David Schmitz.

5 Questions with UNI alum David Schmitz

David Schmitz ‘06 is proof that art can change lives. The Charles City native said his time at UNI was transformative - from creating his own unique artwork to his first exposure promoting the arts while a UNI Gallery of Art student worker. Those experiences sparked a passion for promoting art and a career that led from the Dubuque Museum of Art to the Iowa Arts Council, where he will start as administrator late next month promoting the arts across Iowa. Here he shares his thoughts on the importance of art, how to make it more accessible and how UNI shaped his career.