Meet Celina Carr, Class of 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Celina Carr
Journalism & Mass Communication major, Political Science minor
Des Moines, Iowa

Celina CarrWhen Celina Carr describes the opportunities during her first year of college, she talks about “getting her feet wet"; at the end of her senior year, she talks about “diving in." Carr has come a long way from being a nervous freshman unsure what she wanted to do with her life. Since discovering her passion for journalism, Carr has embraced the opportunities with the School of Journalism & Mass Communication in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She became involved in Daily Iowan TV, the National Association of Black Journalists, and wrote articles for the Iowa Journalist. After graduation, she hopes to be a reporter or producer and eventually work in national media.

Why are you glad you came to the University of Iowa?

I was glad that I came to Iowa because of the opportunities that presented themselves to me. Before I got on campus, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had the opportunity to figure out what organizations I was into, like the National Association of Black Journalists, Daily Iowan TV, student government. That really gave me a focus for what my career path was going to be, which was Journalism and Communications.

What was your best moment here?

Coming to college was a nervous experience. You’re leaving home for the first time and you’re meeting all these new people and you’re in a whole new city. But that On Iowa week really got me pumped to be a Hawkeye. It really kind of set the tone of how my experience of Iowa could be, and from there on I just realized that, I want to be a student here, I’m staying here, and I want to study something that I’m interested in and really dive into new things that I’ve never done before, whether they were student organizations or just participating and meeting new people.

If you could speak to yourself as an incoming freshman, what advice would you give yourself?

If I could go back in time and give myself advice, it would be to have fun. A lot of times, you’re wrapped up in your schoolwork and your stress, and you’re trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life—it can be an overwhelming process. But have fun and enjoy your experience here at Iowa. It’s crazy to think that I’m a senior now. It did go really fast. And I wish back then that I’d had that advice.

—Interview by Nora Heaton (BA 2013) and Dora Grote (Class of 2015); photo by Jill Tobin

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.