UI President Bruce Harreld will present the 2019 International Impact Award to internationally acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes in a public ceremony at the beginning of the November 21 WorldCanvass program. Following the presentation of the award, Estes will be interviewed by WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer about his young life in Centerville, Iowa, his long and successful international operatic career, and the racism he faced in both the European and American contexts as his talents carried him to greater heights but his color often prevented consideration for stage appearances. This special event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m., November 21, in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building, on the corner of Burlington and Clinton Streets in Iowa City. All are invited to a pre-show reception from 6:30-7 p.m.

Lilian Sanchez, UI grad, is working for U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, a California Democrat running for president, to help the candidate connect with Latino voters in Iowa.

While Iowa City native Jennifer Yerkes (BA art ’93) stuck close to home for her undergraduate career at the University of Iowa, she took full advantage of study abroad experiences to expand her worldview. Those early study abroad experiences—one in Austria, another in Hungary—led to a lifetime of learning, living, and working abroad.

Eui-Kyung Lee, '90 Ph.D., is South Korea’s new Minister of Food and Drug Safety.

Ana Arzate (BA French, international studies ’17) completed a global internship in Paris, France, as an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa. Arzate lives in Hiawatha, Iowa, where she works at Channel Fusion as a bilingual client relationship associate. Arzate recently shared thoughts about the value of her internship experience.

Pankaj Jain received a PhD in religious studies from the UI in 2008, and is currently associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at University of North Texas. He will feature in an episode of the third season of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” that airs on Tuesday, April 9th, 2019.

The experiences of UI alum Jeremy Marks traveling through China, South Africa, and Europe made him a finalist for the 2018 Global Citizen of the Year award.

Getting accepted to the University of Iowa was the beginning of many “firsts” for Ana Arzate and her family. As a first-generation college student, attending college meant taking a new path no one in her family had taken before. As time progressed, she felt ready for another “first”—a summer internship in Paris, France, with IES Internships, made possible with a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship. She lived with a host family and worked at Archive Valley, a multinational online company that digitally connects people with archive resources from around the world. Arzate experienced living in a major global city, learned to use the Paris Métro, and was immersed in Parisian culture.

After receiving the October 2018 version of our International Alumni Quarterly E-Newsletter, Philip C. Campbell (PhD sociology ’70, MA sociology ’63) wrote in to share his experiences from over 50 years in international education.

A study abroad experience in Venice, Italy, introduced Abby Restko (BBA marketing ’05) to the beauty of Italian glass jewelry—an experience so profound that she switched her major from accounting to marketing and launched Glassando, a jewelry store featuring Murano glass jewelry, just months after receiving her degree. Thirteen years later, Glassando is a thriving business. Read on to learn more about Restko’s time in Italy and how it impacted her life—both personally and professionally.

Anna Patty (B.A. journalism, Spanish ’03) isn’t afraid to dream big and take risks—characteristics that served her well not only at the University of Iowa, but also today as a business owner, as a community leader, and as a mother of four.

UI alumna Abby Peeters (BA studio arts, BA social work, certificate in American Indian and Native Studies) has had her eye on international work since she was a young girl, watching her father travel the world as a production assistant for a video production company.