The outstanding leadership of sisters Danielle and Denise Martinez is having a big impact on the University of Iowa. Denise, a family medicine physician, interim associate vice president for health parity for UI Health Care, and associate dean for the Carver College of Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Danielle, director of student retention in Academic Support and Retention, draw on their multiethnic upbringing to pave the way for success across campus.

University of Iowa graduate Abel Ortiz-Acosta organized the painting of 21 murals to honor the children and teachers whose lives were lost in a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas.

At the University of Iowa, Guadalupe De La Rosa found an environment where she could push herself to be a leader, take part in the crucial cycle of mentorship, and better embrace her cultural background.

Poet, educator, and writer Juan Felipe Herrera, who received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1990, was named a recipient of a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant.”

Herrera is known for uplifting Mexican American culture and amplifying shared experiences of solidarity and empowerment through poetry and prose for adults and children. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Senegal Taxi (2013); Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems (2008); and Border-Crosser with a Lamborghini Dream (1998). His literary output, in both English and Spanish, crosses genres and spans five decades. His work is united by deep empathy and joy for all groups in the act of artistic creation.