Button Menu

Our Community Stories

  • About
  • Our Community Stories
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
Marielle Gearding
Endless Curiosity

Marielle Gearding

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

Meet Marielle Gearding
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
Shea Nickell
Passion to serve

Shea Nickell

Shea Nickell ’81 considers the greatest payday of his career to have been one that didn’t involve a check…

Meet Shea Nickell
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Nushla Pradhan
Experiencing it All

Nushla Pradhan

I was interested in natural sciences and social sciences, and I wanted a good blend of different classes…

Meet Nushla Pradhan
Tom Kominsky
Set Up For Success

Tom Kominsky

Tom Kominsky recalls the broad outlines of how he first became interested in DePauw. He says, “I saw…

Meet Tom Kominsky
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
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
Ben Schroeder
Getting Exposure

Ben Schroeder

Ben Schroeder came to DePauw on the recommendation of a family member who graduated in the 1980s. Having…

Meet Ben Schroeder
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
Sydney West
Branching Out

Sydney West

I’ve always been fascinated by the ability to turn a string of seemingly meaningless words into a master-crafted…

Meet Sydney West
Brian Culp
Creative Culture-Making

Brian Culp

“I was nervous going into the game,” says Brian Culp ’06. With over 120 million viewers tuning into the…

Meet Brian Culp
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
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
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
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
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
Brandon Collins
Forming a Path in Public Health

Brandon Collins

Brandon Collins '23, a neuroscience and global health double major, chose DePauw because of the small…

Meet Brandon Collins
Rafael Toro-Quiñones
Joy at the Intersection of Music and Service

Rafael Toro-Quiñones

“I’m kicking myself for dropping a leadership class with Dr. McKelligan,” laughs Rafael Toro-Quiñones…

Meet Rafael Toro-Quiñones
Rhonesha Byng
Becoming my potential

Rhonesha Byng

I wanted to work in media when I came to DePauw, so I took advantage of WGRE, the campus radio station…

Meet Rhonesha Byng
 Sarah Rowley
Fostering Personal Connections

Sarah Rowley

What excites me about teaching? Everything! The magic that happens in the classroom is completely dependent…

Meet Sarah Rowley
 Elisa Villanueva Beard
Business Executive

Elisa Villanueva Beard

Elisa has been an integral part of Teach for America for 25 years. It all started in 1998 as a TFA Phoenix…

Meet Elisa Villanueva Beard
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