A sense of self, a passion for connecting people to the arts, and a vast network of mentors stands out when Zoey Miller reflects back on her time with the University of Iowa Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL). Miller came to the university from the Des Moines, Iowa, area and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis on literary theory.
While on campus, she was a staff photographer for The Daily Iowan, the independent newspaper of the university community, and an invested member of SCOPE Productions, a student organization and talent-buying group that brings entertainment to campus and the Iowa City area. By nature, Miller and the SCOPE team produced many concerts during her involvement in the organization. Her favorites included James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, T-Pain and Kate Nash. SCOPE provided her experience in a variety of areas–from public relations to team management to event planning. In addition to her involvement on campus, Miller also worked for the Iowa City-based Mission Creek Festival (MCF).
“…I think that speaks to how connected the university is to the larger community. It was a great experience to collaborate with community-minded individuals and contribute to MCF in a marketing capacity,” Miller says.
Today, Miller is living in Des Moines, and has returned to studying, this time working towards her Master of Social Work through the UI’s distance education program. In addition to coursework, she also works part-time for a non-profit organization using skills she developed as a student leader in marketing and community collaboration.
“Being involved with CSIL gave me a solid sense of who I am as an individual. It helped me cultivate a love for connecting people to art, ideas, and community through tangible projects, like taking photos or producing concerts," she says. "It also gave me a huge network that I still call on today–especially through SCOPE and Mission Creek, where I was able to plug into the larger music community through the skills I learned in my student organization.”
Miller’s professional goal is to become a mental health professional and find a way to “incorporate [her] love for arts and events, cultivated through [her] time at Iowa.”