Carmel local among nearly 1,800 students to graduate last fall from the University of Iowa

Van Soelen of Carmel, IN was among the nearly 1,800 undergraduate, graduate and professional students conferred their degrees last month at the University of Iowa. Van Soelen was a student in the Tippie College of Business whose program of study was Business Analytics and Information Systems. The degree awarded was a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Despite the challenges of navigating their college education through a pandemic, Hawkeyes like Van Soelen persisted. They continued to excel and stretch. To engage and choose and serve.

Take for example, the 22 students and alumni who won Fulbright scholarships to conduct research, teach English, or undertake creative projects abroad, making Iowa a top-producing institution of Fulbright students nationally for the sixth consecutive year. Or the students who produce The Daily Iowan, which was named by the Associated Press for 2020-21 as well as the 2021 Iowa Newspaper of the Year by the Iowa Newspaper Association. Or the 19 honors students whose retelling of The Great Gatsby garnered a film option.

Not only have our students persisted, they have pushed to achieve more. Hundreds of student volunteers raised funds for Dance Marathon, helping pediatric cancer patients and their families at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, while the student-run UI Mobile Clinic offered free telehealth services and vaccinated more than 1,000 people.