Button Menu

Our Community Stories

  • About
  • Our Community Stories
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
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
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
Jessica Curry
Community of Communities

Jessica Curry

“Coming into school, I don’t know if I knew what I wanted to do. I began as an econ major and was in…

Meet Jessica Curry
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
Danielle Sommerman
Discovering Connections

Danielle Sommerman

I chose DePauw because I wanted a school with a small student body where I could make personal connections…

Meet Danielle Sommerman
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
Moeez Islam Malik
Initiative and Empathy

Moeez Islam Malik

“I never knew that I would be a leader,” admits Moeez Islam Malik ’27. Yet just a few years into his…

Meet Moeez Islam Malik
Cooper Macy
Almost a Local

Cooper Macy

When Cooper Macy ’25 arrived in Italy for an accelerated language program the summer before his sophomore…

Meet Cooper Macy
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
Kyle Smitley
Social Change Agent

Kyle Smitley

Kyle Smitley launched an organic children’s clothing line at age 23, just a year out of DePauw. Inspired…

Meet Kyle Smitley
Paige Burgess
Orchestrating Connection

Paige Burgess

As a music education major, Paige Burgess ’25 understands how a collection of otherwise dissimilar notes…

Meet Paige Burgess
Moises Rivera
Honoring Heritage

Moises Rivera

My heritage impacts my daily life in almost every way, from the way I interact with people and how I…

Meet Moises Rivera
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
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
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
Bella Zollner
Hope Is the Solution

Bella Zollner

Bella Zollner ’27 isn’t the type to sit on the sidelines. She prefers to be in the heart of the action…

Meet Bella Zollner
Marwa Aarab
Enriching a Global Perspective

Marwa Aarab

As an international student keen on medicine and research, I chose DePauw University after careful examination…

Meet Marwa Aarab
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
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
Nate Spangle
The Voice of Influence

Nate Spangle

Talk to Nate Spangle ’19 for a few minutes and “media personality” will seem like an obvious career destination…

Meet Nate Spangle
Andrew Gold
Engage with Passion

Andrew Gold

DePauw is one continuous opportunity to connect. I’ve dabbled in more campus experiences here than I…

Meet Andrew Gold
Mike Bogers
Meaningful Connections

Mike Bogers

Mike Bogers applied to exactly one college. “I showed up in Greencastle during the fall, the weather…

Meet Mike Bogers
John Berry
Innovative Artistry

John Berry

Success and accomplishment flow from the challenging work done in the classroom and studio at DePauw…

Meet John Berry
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.
Eliana Jolanda Alzate
Speak Now

Eliana Jolanda Alzate

“Why International Student Orientation is Essentially a Taylor Swift Concert.” Eliana Jolanda Alzate…

Meet Eliana Jolanda Alzate
Brace Mullett
Never Say No

Brace Mullett

Brace Mullett ’26 didn’t have a master plan to come to DePauw, double major in biochemistry and religious…

Meet Brace Mullett
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
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
Jacob Zerull
A Full Plate

Jacob Zerull

When Jacob Zerull ’29 arrived at DePauw from his hometown of Lake Forest Ill., he wasted no time making…

Meet Jacob Zerull