Hi, I’m Marina. I came to Iowa from Fairbanks, Alaska, to earn my BM in horn performance. My career ultimately became one of service to our country—first as a musician in the U.S. Air Force Band and then as a civilian logistician for the Air Force. After 24 years of military and civilian service, I retired in 2025. 

Why CLAS? 

Iowa taught me the value of flexibility—and of approaching new situations with an open mind, open eyes, and an open heart. That became a bedrock of my work ethic throughout two very different careers and shaped how I worked with supervisors, colleagues, and the people I had the opportunity to lead. 

That kind of adaptability will only become more valuable. The world increasingly requires us to consider alternative approaches, bring together ideas from different disciplines, and collaborate to find better and more effective ways of doing things. A liberal arts and sciences education gives students that breadth from the beginning. It teaches you not to rely on a single way of thinking, but to draw from different perspectives and experiences to meet whatever challenge comes next.