Two University of Iowa parents—a husband-and-wife team—were the center of attention Oct. 31 at the Family Weekend game day breakfast and at halftime during the Hawkeye football game, when they were honored as UI Mom and Dad of the Year.
The 2015 Mom and Dad of the Year are, respectively, Julie Warren and Rod Warren, of Clive, Iowa, each nominated by their daughter, Hallie Kinnick Warren, a UI nursing student. Hallie says her mother, an associate in a first-grade classroom at Crestview School of Inquiry in West Des Moines, Iowa, excels in her work because she is great with kids and is an excellent communicator. Julie was involved with Crestview before joining the staff and has participated with her husband in many fundraisers that benefited Blank Children’s Hospital.
Hallie says her father, a UI alumnus and the president of a malpractice insurance company, shows support for his community by donating time, money, and hard work. He regularly participates in 5K races—which benefit organizations like the Colon Cancer Foundation of Iowa—the Ponseti Races, and also mentors students in the UI’s Henry B. Tippie College of Business. Both parents support UI Hospitals and Clinics and UI Athletics.
“My mother has taught me to be hard-working, understanding of others, and kind-hearted,” Hallie writes. “Her pride in me keeps me going. From getting 'happy tears' when I told her I started my first IV successfully to just talking on the phone when I need some cheering up, my mother has been one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout life.”
Her parents made sure that Hallie and her siblings could attend the UI.
“Aside from raising healthy kids, one of my dad’s biggest goals as a parent has always been to put all of his children through college without student loans to ensure we begin our professional lives debt free,” she writes. “His pride in my siblings and me inspires me to be the best I can be every single day.”
Mom and Dad of the Year are sponsored by the UI Parents Fund for Student Support, with support from the UI Athletics Department and the Iowa Hawk Shop/University Bookstore. Honorees are chosen by two student honor societies, Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa, based on personal achievements and dedication to family. Any student can nominate a parent for an award.
International Parent of the Year
In September, International Student and Scholar Services announced the 2015 recipients of the International Parent of the Year award: Hameed Nada Hammad and Lameeah Bunyan Jabal, of Tikrit, Iraq. They are the parents of two UI students, Majid Nada, a graduate student in chemistry, and Mohannad Nada, a doctoral student in immunology.
Although Hameed, who works in trade and runs a small farm, and Lameeah, who oversees their family of seven sons and three daughters, did not have the opportunity to study beyond secondary school, they are committed to supporting the higher education of their children. They do not permit their children to work, ensuring that they instead have time for their studies. Even when Iraq faced economic difficulties, they ensured their children stayed in school.
To learn more, visit the International Programs website.