Our Community Stories
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
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
Endless Curiosity
Marielle Gearding
Theatre. Neuroscience. Creative writing. True crime. Dance. Marielle Gearding ’27 has no shortage of…
Meet Marielle Gearding
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
An Envelope and an Opportunity
Thom Jackson
Over the course of his lifetime, Thom Jackson ’82 has been no stranger to professional success. He’s…
Meet Thom Jackson
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
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
Everything is possible
Sahit Liyanage
What is the value of undergraduate research? One is the experience itself: the chance to learn and engage…
Meet Sahit Liyanage
Fostering Personal Connections
Sarah Rowley
What excites me about teaching? Everything! The magic that happens in the classroom is completely dependent…
Meet Sarah Rowley
The Unifying Power of Art
Gerard Pannekoek
“Art is a great place to start a conversation,” says Gerard Pannekoek ’11. “It’s a place to build trust…
Meet Gerard Pannekoek
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
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
Innovative Artistry
John Berry
Success and accomplishment flow from the challenging work done in the classroom and studio at DePauw…
Meet John Berry
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
Global Impact
Sharon Crary
Professor Sharon Crary has studied the devastating effects of the Ebola virus for 15 years. Since the…
Meet Sharon Crary
It's never the last time at DePauw
Brian Perry
Brian Perry is forever connected to DePauw. A philosophy major at DePauw, he went on to earn a JD from…
Meet Brian Perry
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
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
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
Community Builder. Documentarian.
Meru Sharma
At DePauw, I was a Media Fellow. I was lucky enough to go off-campus for a semester to the New York Arts…
Meet Meru Sharma
From Greencastle to Colombia
Sarah Salazar
I came to DePauw as a Posse Scholar from Chicago who understood the value of education for students from…
Meet Sarah Salazar
Empowering Students
Leslie James
Since I recognize that each student brings a unique dimension to the collective, it is problematic to…
Meet Leslie James
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
Appetite for Discovery
Ibilola Fasogbon
Ibilola Fasogbon ’28 has always been driven by curiosity and adventure. As a child, she found nearly…
Meet Ibilola Fasogbon
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
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
A Place to Flourish
Miriam Linton
When Miriam Linton ’29 began her college search process, she knew that finding a tight-knit community…
Meet Miriam Linton
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
Freedom to Explore
Erik Wielenberg
Since 1999, Erik Wielenberg has been a fixture of the philosophy department at DePauw University. Not…
Meet Erik Wielenberg
Empowering Change
Erika Marchant
Because of my interest in Chinese language, culture, history and philosophy, I declared a major in Chinese…
Meet Erika Marchant