Button Menu

Our Community Stories

  • About
  • Our Community Stories
 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
Brian Perry
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
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
Bree Mahoney-Sutherland
An Affinity for Black and Gold

Bree Mahoney-Sutherland

I come from a long line of black and gold. With our lineage coming directly from an original board of…

Meet Bree Mahoney-Sutherland
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
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
Byron Mason
Get weird, make mistakes

Byron Mason

I came to DePauw knowing I wanted to write, but there were a lot of different avenues that I could take…

Meet Byron Mason
Victoria de Dios
Focusing in on Film

Victoria de Dios

I originally chose DePauw as it seemed the best fit for my interests – both academically and socially…

Meet Victoria de Dios
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
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
Gerard Pannekoek
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
Chi Nguyen
Healing through Art

Chi Nguyen

When Chi Nguyen ’25 found out that she had won first place and the Museum Purchase Prize at the Putnam…

Meet Chi Nguyen
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
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
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
Ibilola Fasogbon
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
Marielle Gearding
Endless Curiosity

Marielle Gearding

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

Meet Marielle Gearding
Drew Cosgray
Guaranteed Success

Drew Cosgray

I came to DePauw for a Copeland Scholarship interview. I had never been on DePauw’s campus, but as soon…

Meet Drew Cosgray
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
John Marshall
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
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
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
 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
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
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
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
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
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
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