Summer at Â鶹¹ÙÍø is anything but quiet. Students spent their days conducting hands-on research through Mentored Advanced Projects (MAPs), while the campus and community came together for farmers' markets, concerts in the park, Fourth of July celebrations, youth programs, and countless moments that make Â鶹¹ÙÍø feel like home. This photo essay offers a glimpse into a season filled with discovery, connection, and community.
As director of communications, she leads strategic communications and media relations, oversees the College's social media strategy, and enjoys highlighting partnerships that strengthen the relationship between the College and the community. Away from work, you'll usually find her at her family's cabin in northern Minnesota, traveling, shopping or chasing after Summer, her energetic chocolate Lab. We caught up with Mattia to learn more about her life on and off campus.
As a summer intern with the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Area Arts Council (GAAC), Pruszinski's work spans nearly every aspect of the organization—from youth arts education and public programming to nonprofit administration and communications. The experience is helping her grow as an educator while offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep a community arts organization thriving.
This summer that passion evolved through her volunteer work with Â鶹¹ÙÍø’s Civic Education & Innovation (CEI) Summer of Service program with the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Fire Department and regional emergency response organizations. Rather than focusing solely on emergency response, the position introduces Trujillo to the many agencies working together to strengthen public health, emergency preparedness, and community safety throughout Poweshiek County.
The Community Mini-Grant Program is one way Â鶹¹ÙÍø partners with local nonprofit organizations to support initiatives that build community strength and resilience.
A week of free performances and hands-on workshops connected Â鶹¹ÙÍø families with Iowa history, storytelling, music, and creativity through a partnership between the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Museum of Art and community organizations.
Â鶹¹ÙÍø Vice President for Community Engagement and Strategic Planning Monica Chavez-Silva has been selected to receive a 2026 Governor’s Volunteer Award in recognition of her outstanding commitment to volunteer service in Iowa.
Â鶹¹ÙÍø and the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Mutual Group Foundation have announced lead gifts totaling $475,000 in support of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø-Newburg School Foundation (GNSF) campaign benefiting the new Â鶹¹ÙÍø-Newburg Elementary School project at Ahrens Park. Â鶹¹ÙÍø has pledged $250,000, while the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Mutual Group Foundation has committed $225,000 to the foundation’s School Facilities Fund, helping advance community efforts to bring the full vision of the new school to life.
In May, a diverse lineup of events — from personal storytelling and perfumed oral histories to statewide networking and films from the Smithsonian — brought that mission to life.
Lodaya, from India, is pursuing majors in Economics and History and has distinguished himself as both a scholar and campus leader. The award, named in honor of Nancy Schmulbach Maly ’61, celebrates students who embody her extraordinary legacy of leadership and service.
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