Honors Alumni Stories

Follow three exceptional alumni through their academic journeys at Iowa and beyond

By Ashlyn Solinksy

As a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program, you have joined a diverse community of scholars making an impact from all over the globe. 

You’ve probably heard about the excellent opportunities offered by the program, and maybe you’ve even begun to take advantage of them. Mentorships, internships, study abroad programs, exclusive courses, engaging instructors, a network of professionals and resources to launch your academic career — but what is the ultimate goal? Where are all of these opportunities going to take you? 

For three outstanding honors alumni, it led to incredible journeys, successful careers, and the ability to make a global impact in their fields. Let’s take a look at the moments and memories that made them who they are, and you’ll start to see how the honors program can help you on your journey. 

Judy Lewis 

Judy Lewis graduated from the UI with honors in sociology and psychology in 1968, and the experience continues to impact her career today.

Lewis was a trailblazer on the Iowa campus, entering the honors program while it was in its infancy.

“For me, going away to college was a fabulous opportunity to be in a place where I could start being who I was,” Lewis said. “I took advantage of every opportunity. I belonged to a lot of different student organizations. I was the first student speaker at commencement, and I was the president of my senior class.”

After she graduated, Lewis took a job at the Illinois Department of Mental Health. There, she discovered her passion.

“I didn’t want to fix individuals,” she said. “I want to fix systems because there were a lot of things about the system that were broken.”

She chased that dream to Yale, where she received a graduate degree in medical sociology. She then went on to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences where she set up one of the nation’s first school health programs.

The program provided health services to children in Hartford, Connecticut, one of the poorest cities in the United States at the time. Throughout her career, she has led and organized community-based education and health programs in over 50 different countries, bringing valuable resources to disadvantaged individuals all over the globe.

“I feel like my time at Iowa was the foundation of it all,” she said. “The world is full of opportunities, and I just think the honors program gives you a good chance to start to explore them all.

“Just throw yourself into it and enjoy every moment of it,” Lewis added. “Just take advantage of every opportunity that's there because it's a wonderful program.” 

Elizabeth Sheridan-Drake 

Elizabeth Sheridan-Drake arrived at the UI from the small town of Denver, Iowa. She graduated in 2019, but in the four years she had, she enjoyed a plethora of experiences and connections that impacted her future in big ways.

A highly motivated student, Sheridan-Drake naturally sought out other high-achieving students as well as opportunities for growth. 

“I was going to go all in on academics if I was going to go anywhere,” she said. “I really liked the honors courses, especially the honors discussion sections because I felt like all of the students were taking it seriously.”

When she started at the UI, Sheridan-Drake knew she wanted to major in English. But she didn’t know what direction she wanted to take her post-university career. The honors program expanded her vision of what was possible for her future. It challenged her to ask, “What am I learning from this? What am I getting out of this, what is it telling me about who I am and what I’m interested in?”

When the university announced its new publishing certificate, she discovered her niche.  

Sheridan-Drake worked for the honors program as an honors orientation ambassador where she met her husband, who was also serving as an ambassador that summer. She obtained a position as the editor for the Honors Newsletter and an intern for the UI press, which helped set her up for a career in publishing.

Today, six years after she graduated, she works remotely as the editorial and production coordinator for Georgetown University press, based in Washington D.C.

“Make connections,” she said. “That can mean talking to your professor and building relationships, which is important, but it can also mean making friends in honors. Some of my closest friends are people I met in the honors program.” 

Renugan Raidoo

For Renugan Raidoo, the journey to the UI spanned more than 8,000 miles. 

Born in Durban, South Africa, he moved to South Dakota at the age of 11 with his family. He went on to double-major in chemistry and anthropology with a minor in French at the University of Iowa, graduating in 2011.

During his time in the Honors Program, Renugan took advantage of every opportunity. He worked with the university’s chapter of Amnesty International, the Global Health club, became a writing fellow, and participated in research.

“I especially appreciated the support that [the honors program] could offer for student research,” Raidoo said. “There was a lot of encouragement in honors to do student research and also to apply for external scholarships.”

It all paid off in 2011 when Renugan was awarded one of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world: the Rhodes Scholarship, which gives excellent scholars the chance to complete their postgraduate degree at Oxford.

Renugan had been planning to attend medical school following his undergraduate studies, but he put those plans on hold in the wake of this new opportunity. Eventually, he obtained a PhD in social anthropology from Harvard University. He now holds a faculty position at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

“Give yourself the space that you need,” he said. “I think the people who most need to hear that are the people who end up in an honors program.”

Renugan warns against burnout. It’s tempting to dive into every opportunity available, but no one can do everything. Select the opportunities that mean the most to you and leave time in your schedule to relax.

“Don't cling too tightly to your expectations,” he said. “I entered Iowa thinking I would be a doctor. That is not what happened, and I'm glad for it.”

Keep your mind open to the unexpected. There is so much to explore. Renugan pursued a passion for singing while at the UI and Oxford. It’s important to pursue things that make you happy outside of work and school.

These are only three of the thousands of honors students who have lived in the same space, walked the same campus, and learned in the same classrooms as you. They took advantage of the countless opportunities to enrich their experience, and it paid off. Now is the time to ask yourself: Where will you go with the help of University Honors?