Kedibona “Kedi” Ochs hopes to create a classroom for students that fosters inclusivity and compassion. Ochs, who was recently awarded the spring 2019 Mary Maxine Redmond Scholarship, was also selected as the spring 2019 College of Education commencement speaker.

The University of Iowa has been chosen to participate in the 2019–20 inaugural First Forward cohort by the Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA—Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the Suder Foundation.

Recognizing the desire for family and friends of international students to share in the joy of commencement, the University of Iowa recruits volunteers to interpret the ceremonies in different languages.

Elizabeth Lara has been hired as the new diversity, equity, and inclusion director in the Graduate College.

UI alumni Tanner Salinas, a graduate of the UI REACH program, is a guest services employee for the Chicago Cubs. “In my mind, I think, yes, I have a disability, but I can do whatever you can do ...,’’ says Salinas, who has cerebral palsy.

Cassie Harrington has been named to serve as the interim student diversity, equity, and inclusion liaison in addition to her current position as assessment and evaluation program coordinator in the college’s student affairs office.

TaJuan Wilson, executive director of Student Programs and Diversity and assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, has been named the University of Iowa’s new associate vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion. He will begin on June 28.

Results from the University of Iowa’s first-ever comprehensive campus climate surveys show that a vast majority of respondents say they are satisfied with their decision to work at the UI or satisfied with the overall campus experience.

University of Iowa graduate student Andrew Tubbs uses personal experiences and his passion for the arts to support and advocate for people with disabilities on campus and in the community.

Born with cerebral palsy, no one thought Tanner Salinas would live. Twenty-four years later, Salinas is a college graduate thanks to the UI College of Education's REACH program, and is working for the Chicago Cubs.