 Community
Community is the center of the Advantage Iowa Scholar experience. Incoming first-year students are brought into this supportive community where they're advised and counseled by faculty, staff, and older students already in the program. As their college experience progresses, these same students become a part of the community, until eventually they provide the welcome and counseling to new first-year students.
The shared support of the OI Community provides key assistance in overcoming the obstacles and challenges of college life. Giving back to the community provides experience for life and career after college.
Monthly Workshops
Each month during the academic year, all Advantage Iowa Scholars get together for a meeting in one of the University's cultural centers, with topics ranging from presentations on University services to discussions of campus life.
Meetings also involve faculty and staff from the African-American Council, the Council on the Status of Latinos, and the Native American Organization. These faculty and staff members attend in part to support the meeting topic, but more importantly in order to meet and connect with the Advantage Iowa Scholars.
For a schedule of monthly meetings, see the OI Calendar. Mentoring
Mentoring occurs at almost all levels of the Advantage Iowa Scholar experience. Beginning with advice as an incoming first-year student from others in the Advantage Iowa Scholars program, moving through connections with faculty members and graduate students, and culminating in the opportunity to provide mentoring to new classes of Advantage Iowa Scholars.
Most mentoring activities are informal, taking the forms of conversations, listening, and advice. Some mentoring is more formal, though, with relationships established that match students with faculty members in shared areas of study and research. For more information on mentoring opportunities, please contact Nancy Humbles (335-2092). Special Events
Throughout the year, there are special events of particular interest to Advantage Iowa Scholars, including some specifically for Advantage Iowa Scholars, such as the Welcome Reception at the beginning of the calendar year.
Groups and Organizations
There are a number of groups and organizations around campus with special ties to Opportunity at Iowa. Some of these groups are student run, with members of the Advantage Iowa Scholars community holding founding and leadership positions. Other groups are faculty and/or staff organizations that offer support to the Advantage Iowa Scholars program.
For more information on this aspect of the OI Community, see our page on Diversity at Iowa Volunteer Opportunities
Advantage Iowa Scholars are encouraged to pursue volunteerism as part of their college activities. Volunteering provides an excellent balance to the classroom in terms of preparation for post-undergrad work—careers, graduate school, professional school, etc. Volunteer work also helps support the OI community by passing on valuable advice and experience to the next generation of students.
OI Volunteer Activities Include:
For more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact Nancy Humbles (335-2092).
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