Focusing on the First-Year Experience 

Honors Graduate Intern Grace Kariuki

By Riley Shell

Tucked in among the honors staff offices on the fourth floor of the Blank Honors Center, graduate student Grace Kariuki works diligently advising and engaging first-year honors students as they undertake their journey through the program. 

Kariuki serves as the first-year experience intern for the Honors Program, a role that focuses on serving honors students in their first year at Iowa. She directs students to resources and co-teaches the Honors Outreach Ambassadors course. Additionally, she is the mind behind many of the great events that are set to come this year in the Blank Honors Center. 

“[Events are] the easiest way to form connections outside of classes,” explained Kariuki. 

Among the events Kariuki has organized this semester were a speed friending event, game night, trivia contest, and the informational “Hear from a Peer” panel, where students who are farther along in their studies shared about high impact learning experiences such as research and study abroad. 

“Grace brings a fresh perspective and a sense of joy and curiosity to our program,” said Madison Schulte, the student engagement coordinator for the Honors Program and Kariuki’s supervisor. 

In the future, Schulte advises students to “be on the lookout for more intentional campus partner collaborations and a talent show!” 

Though professors and other full-time faculty members typically have more experience in their fields, graduate students like Kariuki offer a unique perspective to students. 

“Students will come to you because they view you as a peer mentor,” Kariuki said. 

A sports and education enthusiast, Kariuki moved to the United States from Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023. She began her educational career as a teaching assistant (TA) in the Department of Kinesiology at Western Illinois University. The department is centered on sports management, though Kariuki focused primarily on leadership and stress management classes. 

Following her graduation from Western Illinois University, Kariuki applied to the University of Iowa’s PhD program in higher education and student affairs. The program was the perfect way of merging her passion for sports and her love of advising. 

The PhD program did not work out due to the University’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) funding being cut but, fortunately, Kariuki’s path to Iowa did not end there as the admissions committee referred her application to the graduate program. 

“At the time, I didn’t know how to feel,” Kariuki said, “but I have to understand the aspects of higher education for me to incorporate it into student athletes’ lives.” 

While not her original plan, adapting her path to fit her goals allowed Kariuki to make the best out of roadblocks and to keep moving forward. 

The change of plans means Kariuki now plays a vital role providing students with opportunities to make connections and possibly life-long friendships within the Honors Program. Honors students should keep an eye out for Kariuki’s future events and take advantage of the excellent advice and mentorship she can offer as a graduate student.