Button Menu

Our Community Stories

  • About
  • Our Community Stories
Jordan Sjol
The Perfect Place for Filmmaking

Jordan Sjol

Jordan Sjol may be relatively new to the DePauw University faculty, but as assistant professor of film…

Meet Jordan Sjol
Andrea Sununu
The Difference is in the Details

Andrea Sununu

For over 30 years I’ve taught literature at DePauw and welcomed the chance to serve not only as teacher…

Meet Andrea Sununu
Tommy Manning
Curiosity and Conservation

Tommy Manning

“My whole life I've been into environmentalism and sustainability,” says Tommy Manning ’26. Although…

Meet Tommy Manning
Deepa Prakash
Embracing Unpredictable Moments

Deepa Prakash

What excites me about teaching is the opportunity to discuss and learn about the pressing issues that…

Meet Deepa Prakash
Ainsley Boras
Part of the Family

Ainsley Boras

Ainsley Boras ’25 is no stranger to the DePauw family. Visiting campus as a child with her parents Amy…

Meet Ainsley Boras
Greg Schwipps
Working Together

Greg Schwipps

I am a DePauw professor but also a 1995 DePauw alumnus. I started my first-year at DePauw a would-be…

Meet Greg Schwipps
Evan Steffy
Exploration through liberal arts

Evan Steffy

Being from the Greencastle area, DePauw has always been present in my life. I knew I wanted a smaller…

Meet Evan Steffy
Hanna Coffel
A Life-Changing Invitation

Hanna Coffel

When DePauw’s softball coach invited Hanna Coffel ’26 to campus as a high school sophomore, it was the…

Meet Hanna Coffel
Miguel Angel Navarro Jr.
Embracing Different Perspectives

Miguel Angel Navarro Jr.

I chose DePauw because I wanted to be somewhere where I felt at home. As a student, I was exposed to…

Meet Miguel Angel Navarro Jr.
Tanner Austin
From Guernsey to Greencastle

Tanner Austin

“I came out here on a limb,” says Tanner Austin ’28. “It's just unbelievably lucky how it all worked…

Meet Tanner Austin
Erika Marchant
Empowering Change

Erika Marchant

Because of my interest in Chinese language, culture, history and philosophy, I declared a major in Chinese…

Meet Erika Marchant
Craig Paré
A Collaborative Approach

Craig Paré

I love that our students come to classes and rehearsals hungry to learn and, when challenged, respond…

Meet Craig Paré
 Phyllis Ferrell
Global Strategist

Phyllis Ferrell

DePauw pride has remained an important part of Phyllis Ferrell's life, even after graduation in 1994…

Meet Phyllis Ferrell
Elisha Amadasu
Wisdom and Probability

Elisha Amadasu

Growing up in Brooklyn, Elisha Amadasu ’26 identified his intellectual passion at a young age. “Math…

Meet Elisha Amadasu
Scott Wilkerson
Applied learning. Real solutions.

Scott Wilkerson

Out of graduate school, I worked for 3.5 years gaining invaluable experience with Exxon Production Research…

Meet Scott Wilkerson
Leslie James
Empowering Students

Leslie James

Since I recognize that each student brings a unique dimension to the collective, it is problematic to…

Meet Leslie James
Meghan Shearer
Diving In

Meghan Shearer

Four months after graduating from DePauw, Meghan Shearer ’13 took a giant risk and moved across the country…

Meet Meghan Shearer
Zach Taylor
Learning how to cut the fat

Zach Taylor

Zach Taylor graduated as a poetry and studio art double-major. Initially he was on an English literature…

Meet Zach Taylor
Marielle Gearding
Endless Curiosity

Marielle Gearding

Theatre. Neuroscience. Creative writing. True crime. Dance. Marielle Gearding ’27 has no shortage of…

Meet Marielle Gearding
Jason Soto-Vega
Deep Roots

Jason Soto-Vega

Originally from Costa Rica, Jason Soto-Vega ’25 grew up being taught the importance of community, hard…

Meet Jason Soto-Vega
Zoe Green
Spiritual Self-Discovery

Zoe Green

Growing up in a military family, Zoe Green ’27 became accustomed to transition at a young age. Having…

Meet Zoe Green
Ha Chu
Pivotal Moments

Ha Chu

“It changed my life,” says Ha Chu ’26, recalling an interaction early in her time at DePauw with Larry…

Meet Ha Chu
Sydney Schloemer
Making Connections

Sydney Schloemer

No matter what activity Sydney Schloemer ’26 has found herself doing at DePauw, her ultimate goal has…

Meet Sydney Schloemer
John Marshall
In the Swim of Things

John Marshall

When I started my college search, I wasn’t 100 percent settled on a path. I had enjoyed economics in…

Meet John Marshall
Gigi Nguyen
Starting Early

Gigi Nguyen

"Before I even arrived at DePauw in Fall 2021, I had a conversation with a senior student that changed…

Meet Gigi Nguyen
Sharon Crary
Global Impact

Sharon Crary

Professor Sharon Crary has studied the devastating effects of the Ebola virus for 15 years. Since the…

Meet Sharon Crary
Naima Shifa
Building Connections

Naima Shifa

The biggest part of my teaching is building connections with my students and creating a community in…

Meet Naima Shifa
Andrew Brown
Promoting Peace Through Music

Andrew Brown

I chose DePauw because it is the kind of place where students can explore fields of studies that are…

Meet Andrew Brown
Tanaa Jones
Formed by Faith

Tanaa Jones

Growing up in Nashville, Tenn., Tanaa Jones ’26 was taught from an early age how to see the world through…

Meet Tanaa Jones
Erik Wielenberg
Freedom to Explore

Erik Wielenberg

Since 1999, Erik Wielenberg has been a fixture of the philosophy department at DePauw University. Not…

Meet Erik Wielenberg