Button Menu

Our Community Stories

  • About
  • Our Community Stories
Matigan Williams
The Power of Networking

Matigan Williams

This summer I am interning with a U.S. senator in Washington, D.C. This internship is a tremendous opportunity…

Meet Matigan Williams
Peyton Rohr
A coast-to-coast college adventure

Peyton Rohr

West Coast: The First Visit from Sunny California  Peyton Rohr ’27, a student-athlete and media fellow…

Meet Peyton Rohr
 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
Priscilla Smith
The Freedom of Learning

Priscilla Smith

Since she was four years old, Priscilla Smith ’29 has spent much of her time in the pool. Like any athlete…

Meet Priscilla Smith
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
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
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
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
Marielle Gearding
Endless Curiosity

Marielle Gearding

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

Meet Marielle Gearding
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
 Troy Tien Nguyen
Giving Back

Troy Tien Nguyen

For domestic students, going to college is a new and exciting thing. But for international students,…

Meet Troy Tien Nguyen
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
 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
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
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
Suzanne Spencer
The Silver Lining

Suzanne Spencer

After beginning her television news career as a multimedia journalist in South Bend, Suzanne Spencer…

Meet Suzanne Spencer
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
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
Kay Sikana
Finding Their Voice

Kay Sikana

“A big part of my identity is my pan-African upbringing,” says Kandafula (Kay) Sikana ’25. Born in Zambia…

Meet Kay Sikana
Sheraya Smith
An Appetite for Adventure

Sheraya Smith

Growing up near Crawfordsville, Ind., Sheraya Smith ’20 had always been familiar with DePauw University…

Meet Sheraya Smith
Christian Rivera
Confidence In Leadership

Christian Rivera

I came to DePauw as a Posse Scholar from an inner-city high school, already credited for my leadership…

Meet Christian Rivera
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
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
Star Long
Invaluable Research Experience

Star Long

Star Long came to DePauw with plans to major in kinesiology, go off to graduate school and become a physical…

Meet Star Long
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
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
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
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