Hi everyone!

We’re officially at the end of the semester! Personally, I’m super excited to be finishing up my classes and my final projects even though I have to spend this next week grinding on my homework. Fingers crossed that I finish everything in time before I head out of town in less than a week!

It’s always during the final week of school that I start to get sentimental about the end of the semester, so I wanted to use my blog post this month as an opportunity to look back on some of my favorite moments. For future Hawkeyes reading this, check out some of my most memorable moments to get a sneak peek at some of the fun activities that you can take part in as a Hawkeye too!

Getting to See My First Queer Cabaret

One of my favorite things about Iowa City is its emphasis on the arts.

All throughout the year, downtown Iowa City has art showcases, live bands, plays, and more events for students to enjoy. This year, one of my favorite shows was the queer cabaret and it was absolutely amazing! The performers were so talented, and I was in awe of the musical numbers, dance performances, and some of the personal stories shared throughout the show. It was a fantastic performance and it was even better because I got to support one of my best friends who ended up performing.

(Sidenote: She’s the one holding up the disco ball in the photo!)

Celebrating Birthday Parties with Friends

The joy of being a senior student are the amount of people that I’ve gotten to know and call my friends over these past three and a half years.

This year, I was able to attend sooo many birthday parties which provided some much-needed fun and relaxation on the weekends. I’m an outgoing person, so I also really enjoyed having the chance to meet more fun and interesting people. Something you’ll quickly learn about Iowa City are the amount of people who are genuinely friendly and easy to talk to, so making friends at any point in the year feels like a breeze no matter where you go.

Attending Literary Magazine Events

I’ve been a member of the Iowa literary magazine community since I was a freshman, and I’ve always enjoyed planning/attending events that cater to my love of reading and writing.

This year, I was able to take part in some amazing literary events that included exquisite corpse collaging, open mics, and blind date with a book giveaways. Each new event really reminds me of my love for the literary community in Iowa City and the amazing people it brings in.

It’s hard to believe that I’ll be leaving the community in a few, short months, so I’m really taking the time to make the most of these events and the people who make them so much fun!

Celebrating Friendsgiving

Another perk of having so many friends is being invited to all of their Friendsgivings!

This year, I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with people I love and eat amazing food that we prepared for one another. This was a great way to relax, catch up, and enjoy each other’s company through fun games and activities. Hopefully, wherever I move to, I can continue that tradition in my post-grad life!

Getting to See Magdalena Bay in Concert

This year’s homecoming performer was Magdalena Bay which is one of my favorite music duos!

Every year, the University of Iowa picks a musical performer, and they set up a stage for them right on the Pentacrest for the entire community to watch. I’ve been to a couple of the homecoming performances, but this year, I was able to be front row for Magdalena Bay. It was a dream come true being able to see them perform live and for free, and I’m so grateful that the University of Iowa provides its students with mesmerizing concerts.

Seeing the UCLA vs Iowa Game in Los Angeles

Even though I’m not the biggest sports fan, I had so much fun traveling to Los Angeles to see the UCLA vs. Iowa football game!

I wrote in a previous blog post that I loved the Hawkeye community there and the sentiment still holds true! Even though I was halfway across the country, it still felt like I was at a home game with the number of Hawkeyes in the stands. In the end, the Hawkeyes did lose, but I will always remember that game because of its Hawkeye spirit.

Well, well, those are my top six moments this semester!

It’s crazy to think that I only have one more semester before I graduate, so I’ll be sure to make it count!

Thank you for reading my blog post and happy holidays to those who celebrate!!!

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Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving week!

This is one of my favorite weeks to be in Iowa City, because the city is completely empty of students and feels like a ghost town. That might be weird of me to say, but this is the third time I’ve spent Thanksgiving in Iowa, and I’ve come to really enjoy/anticipate the alone time. It gives me the space to pursue my hobbies, so in celebration of that, I thought I’d give you guys a list of some of the things I plan on getting done. At the very least, this article is my way of holding myself accountable to my own plans!

Getting Caught Up on Homework + Taking Work Shifts

This is probably the least exciting part of my break, but still important nonetheless!

Even though Thanksgiving break is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, I usually find myself catching up or getting a head start on homework for the following week. I’ve found that this makes it easier for me to focus on my finals when the time comes!

To help motivate myself, I usually find a local coffee shop to grab a warm drink and get into the working mindset. That way, I feel more productive and comfortable!

Similarly, I like to grab work shifts (I work in the Office of Admissions at the university!), so I can make a little bit of extra money. Since so many students and workers have left for break, it’s nice being able to grab whatever shits I want. I’m also someone who likes a routine, so this is something I personally find myself needing as the days go by.

Catching up on TV Shows

This year, my goal is to finish all nine seasons of How I Met Your Mother, and I’m currently on season eight!

I started watching back in January and it’s been a slow year as I’ve chipped away at the seasons. This week, though, I promised myself that I would do my best to finish season eight, so I’ll definitely be spending my nights binge-watching the show in an attempt to finish it before the year is out.

I can’t wait to make myself some hot cocoa, kick back, and relax!

Going to the Movies

There are a lot of movies out right now that I’m absolutely DYINGGG to see! Some include Anora, We Live in Time, and of course, Wicked! Sometime this week, I plan on grabbing some friends and dragging them to the theaters to enjoy the magic of the movies with me.

Usually with my class schedule, I find it really hard to have a few hours free for the theater, but this week, I plan on making the time to head into downtown Iowa City where I can enjoy my free time with some fun.

Shopping for Fun

Speaking of downtown Iowa City, I’m a huge fan of all the mini storefronts and small businesses where I can do my shopping!

There are so many cute shops and vendors open during the holiday season, and I always get so sad when I don’t have the time between work and classes to explore some of the items on sale. So, this week, I plan on spending a day where I hit all of my favorite shops!

And this year, I’m SUPER excited because there’s going to be a holiday flea market that I can go too! I can’t wait to see what fun trinkets and accessories they end up selling that I can bring home.

Reading and Writing

My personal hobbies are reading books and writing stories which are two other things that I’d like to carve out some time for this week. My goal for the year was to read thirty books, and I’ve currently read twenty-eight! Being so close to my goal makes me extra excited to cozy up with a book and finish out the year strong.

In the same vein, I have a few short stories that I’ve wanted to finish writing all semester, and I can’t wait to finally have time where I can write and decompress while doing my favorite thing.

Going to the Gym

Because of my school schedule, it can be really difficult to get to the gym regularly. This week, though, I plan on making gym time a priority since the gym will be pretty empty except for some locals. Our campus’s recreation center is the third best in the country, so I really want to take advantage of this facility as much as possible before I graduate.

Personally, I’ve been doing a lot of running on the treadmill and getting toned with some Pilates, so with a fully free schedule, I’m excited to spend some time getting my sweat on and bettering my body.

Cooking a Thanksgiving Meal

Last but not least, I plan on trying to cook myself a Thanksgiving meal which would be my first time EVER cooking some of these classic Thanksgiving staples!

I have a huge grocery list of items that I need to buy, and I plan on spending Thanksgiving Day in the kitchen and testing out all of the recipes I grew up loving. Fingers crossed that everything comes out delicious and that I have plenty of leftovers for the days after!

Those are all the things I plan on doing for the upcoming week! For me, the most important part of break is to do the things that I want to do since it’s rare I have alone time to indulge in my own hobbies and fun.

I hope your Thanksgiving break is just as restful and relaxing as mine!

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Hi everyone!

It’s officially spooky season! I absolutely love this time of year when the leaves have changed, and people are giving out candy left and right, but my favorite part (which I’m sure everyone can agree with) is dressing up for Halloween festivities! In college, the Halloween traditions are here to stay, and students often come prepared with multiple costumes to wear over the course of multiple nights. Personally, I have five costumes to choose from this year, but don’t worry! Most of them are from my closet, borrowed from my friends, or thrifted from the local flea market.

Still, it’s been a tradition for me to write about the costume hopefuls I want to see on campus every year, and since it’s my final year, I have to round out the tradition one more time! Below is a list of some costumes (and if you’re a student reading this, take these as some last-minute ideas) that I hope to see this year!

Famous Influencers

As a member of Gen Z, I am (sadly) chronically online like most people my age. However, doing a costume based on an online persona would definitely be recognizable, easy to put together, and it would be super relevant for the college student crowd. Some influencers I would love to see would be Alix Earle (a duo costume with her sister, Ashtin Earle, or her boyfriend, Braxton Berrios would be amazing!), Alex Cooper, or Brittany Broski!

Female Pop stars

This has been a huge year for the pop music genre with some incredible and memorable looks! I really want to see someone dressed up as Chappell Roan in one of her varied concert fits, or Sabrina Carpenter with one of her heart dresses, or Charli XCX with a hint of neon, or Taylor Swift in one of her Era’s Tours outfits.

For men, some notable male pop stars that I would love to see would be Troye Sivan or Harry Styles!

Iconic Movie Remakes

This year has also been a big year for remake movies!

Recently, the movie Joker was released, so I would love to see people pull out their Joker and Harlequin costumes! I feel like comic book villains are always a staple on Halloween and the timing is perfect with the movie’s release.

Another classic movie remake with some notable costumes would be Beetlejuice! The costumes in this film really set the Halloween vibe and I would love to see how people could get creative with each character look!

And even though it’s not out yet, I desperately need to see some costumes from Wicked! An Elphaba and Glinda duo would be super cute and relatively easy to do. At least for me, something like this would totally stand out in the crowd!

Netflix Shows

Some of the most recognizable characters are on TV and maybe on campus this year!

I would absolutely LOVE to see people do recreations of Jinx and Vi from Arcane, or a group of friends fresh out of the regency era in Bridgerton, or a girl group dressed up as each member of the pop group, Katseye! My favorite thing is that people can choose how intricate and simple they dress up, but still have a lot of fun playing the parts.

Fingers crossed that people take these costume ideas on!

Song/Song Lyrics

Lastly, I really want to see costumes that play with popular songs or song lyrics!

College students are some of the most creative people I know, and I would love to be surprised by someone who makes a costume out of their favorite song title or a super niche line from a popular song. Bonus points if I see someone also karaokes that song too!

Those are some costumes that I’m dying to see this Halloween season! I’m sure that the students on this campus will still find a way to surprise me and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Happy Halloween to everyone reading and keep an eye out for my next blog post!

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Hi everyone!

I know it’s a bit early to be thinking about the holidays, but you can blame this very early post on the senior-itis that’s currently hitting me! I promise, though, there’s more to this post than my hopes of a sooner winter break.

As an ambassador for the Admissions office, a tour guide, and an Experience Iowa blogger, I get a lot of questions about travel. Since I’m an out-of-state student from New York, a lot of prospective students and families ask me how I get home for the holidays. So, for this post, I thought I’d share some information on how the university helps its out-of-state students with cool resources that make traveling so much easier!

First off, the closest airport to Iowa City is the Cedar Rapids International Airport (CID) which is a thirty-minute drive from the university. Not bad, right? This makes it so much easier for families to visit their out-of-state students or for students who are looking to go home for the holidays (Thanksgiving break, winter break, returning from winter break, etc.). For students who need transportation to the airport, the university provides a low-cost shuttle system.

The shuttle system is the BEST resource that the university provides its out-of-state students. All you have to do is fill out a form or two to confirm you’re a registered student, provide your flight information, and when/where you’d like the shuttle to pick you up (typically, they’ll provide a few locations you can choose from).

Once you’ve filled everything out, the shuttle service will charge you, but luckily, the cost is $20!!! This totally beats paying for a $50 Uber and I know for me, this shuttle system has helped me out time and time again when I’ve been unable to gets rides from my friends. If you’re a prospective student worried about traveling to the airport, have no fear, because the shuttle service will make sure that everyone will get to where they need to be!

Another common misconception with the Cedar Rapids airport is the wait time. However, it usually takes fifteen minutes to check your bag, get through security, and find your gate because the airport is so small! Just make sure you don’t have any liquids over 32 oz (this has happened to me multiple times and my hygiene products have been thrown out, so don’t make the same mistakes I did!)

Once you’re inside the airport, there are only seven gates (see what I mean? It’s so tiny!) so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your gate and relaxing. The airport also has a few dining locations inside for snacks and drinks to tie you over before your long plane ride.

I hope this post de-mystifies how out-of-state traveling can look for prospective students! I know for myself and my family, the Cedar Rapids airport and the university shuttle system have been so helpful, so please take advantage of it while you can!

Thank you guys for reading my blog and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a minute! The past couple months have been soooo hectic for me with going home for summer break, getting my dream internship, catching up with hometown friends, and completing some spontaneous vacation trips. Even though the rest of the undergraduate student body and I are well into the semester, I finally feel like I have a moment to sit down and breathe which is why I’m back to writing blog posts for Experience Iowa!

Don’t remind me how bittersweet this is, because I’m in my final year at the University of Iowa (scary, I know!). Thankfully, I still have some time to write more blog posts and leave my mark as I complete my final year and begin post-grad life!

Before I dive more into what it’s like being a Hawkeye student during the school year, I wanted to give you guys a quick overview of how I spent my summer in preparation for the end of my college career. With weeks of free time, I wanted to make the most of my summer by prioritizing the things that matter most to me. For current undergrads and/or prospective students looking for some direction on how to spend the slow summer season, continue reading below!

Spontaneous Trips with Friends

Something I’m always down for (whether that’s back in my hometown or in Iowa City) is going on a spontaneous trip somewhere new! While I was back home, my close friends and I ended up traveling to upstate New York where we spent a day hanging out, swimming in the nearby lake, and celebrating the end of our semesters. The long car drive and the scenic view of the lake was exactly the kind of relaxation all of us needed after a hardcore semester, and this trip really put into perspective how important this next year is for me with prioritizing my friendships.

Since so many of my friends will be moving away once they graduate, I want to pour so much of my energy into my relationships and I plan on carrying this idea well into the following year! This is a standard I think everyone should follow before heading into the workplace, so if you have the free time, check in with your friends and see what mischief you guys can get into!

Furthering My Career with Dream Internship

This past summer, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a marketing and publicity intern at HarperCollins Publishers; one of my dream workplaces from when I was young and starting to read books.

I worked four days a week (twice in their New York City office) and I was constantly surrounded with wonderful publishing professionals and talented authors. And because I was working in book publishing, I received sooo many free books!

Overall, this was the ideal internship for me and I’m so grateful for all the experience I gained while working there. For those of you considering a summer internship, I’d highly recommend it! This internship provided me with the clarity I needed to know for sure that working in the publishing industry is exactly where I want to be.

My advice: if you ever have the opportunity to apply for an internship, definitely do so!

New York City Activities

I know I just mentioned spontaneous trips, but there were some planned New York City activities that my friends and I did for fun to spice up our summer!

Whether it was lunch in Seaport or admiring the Met at night, I spent a good amount of my summer exploring the city and having fun wherever I ended up. For those of you close to a city and have the funds to indulge, I’d definitely recommend taking advantage of a city’s endless resources while you have so much free time!

If you have the money and time, see what memories you can make!

Catching Up on My Reading

What better way to spend my free time than by reading all the free books I received!?

This summer, I prioritized reading new and old books that I’d kept for years, especially since I’ll be moving out of my apartment and my parents’ house in a year or two. Getting my reading done and donating used books are slowly becoming a bigger priority for me as I continue to carve out time to read across genres. If you’re wondering what my recommendations from this summer are, you should pick up The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor and Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken.

While it doesn’t sound like I spent my summer doing too much, this was actually my most productive summer yet! I filled my time with work I am passionate about, friends I love, and stories that make me feel alive. Whether you’re a graduating high school senior or someone like me who’s nearing the end of their college journey, my biggest advice is to spend your free time doing things that make you happy! Because before you know it, that free time will fill right up again!

Thank you guys for reading my first blog post of the semester and stay tuned for more posts about my life as a Hawkeye.

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Hi everyone!!!

We are officially in finals week and I’m feeling sooo nostalgic right now! The past couple of months have been an absolute whirlwind and the experiences, stories, and people have really shaped this semester for me. Before heading home and sharing all these wonderful moments with my hometown friends and family, I wanted to take a second to reminisce about this spring semester and some of the special moments that made this semester really stand out to me!

Iowa Women’s Basketball Games

This year was MASSIVE for Iowa women’s basketball, and I feel so lucky to have been on campus while Caitlin Clark and the rest of the women’s basketball team worked to get to the National Championship game! The spirit on campus was palpable for every gameday whether it was downtown in a restaurant or at home watching from television. I know that wherever I ended up, I really felt like I could feel the excitement and Hawkeye spirit, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be in a city where everyone was rooting for the same team. I’m definitely going to be cherishing those memories for a long, long time!

Getting Published in Eight Magazines (And Counting!!!)

This year has been amazing for my writing, and I was lucky enough to have gotten published in eight different publications and counting! Most of my publications were through on-campus magazines with the exception of one being online but I’m excited to say that I actually have two more pieces coming out over the summer that will be featured in East Coast magazines!

As I get older and wiser in my writing career, it’s nice to see how my writing has improved and how it’s been celebrated in the wider community. Being in a city of all writers is what I dreamed of when I was first searching for colleges, and it never fails to amaze me how much creative writing is celebrated at the University of Iowa and in Iowa City.

Traveling to Kansas City and New York

I was able to go on two trips this past semester; one to Kansas City for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Convention, and the second to New York (my home state) where I was able to see my friends and family.

With both trips, it was nice to catch up with people I’ve known my whole life or people I met this past year. I’m also really fond of traveling, and I truly feel like there’s no better way to travel than with a buddy by your side! Both these trips were ten times more fun than I imagined because of the people I spent it with.

Getting Closer To Friends

Sort of mentioned in the last point, one of my goals for this year was to put more time and attention into my friendships, and I can happily say that it absolutely paid off! I’ve gotten so much closer to my writer friends, my tour guide friends, and even some friends who I lost touch with over the years but was finally able to reconnect and hangout with before this semester came to a close.

As I near my final year at college, I really want to continue fostering my college friendships into the next year and beyond!

Launching earthwords Issue 44

I posted about this in one of my previous blog posts, but I have to give it one more shout-out! I’ve been working on literary magazines for all three years of college (and I’ll be returning to earthwords for my fourth year!) and I’ve really found that the literary magazine community is one of my favorite communities on campus.

I love launch parties (especially when we get fun pictures out of it) and I can’t wait to work on another one this upcoming year!!!

The Solar Eclipse

This year, a solar eclipse passed over Iowa City, and everyone went outside to enjoy it! It was so cool seeing all the Hawkeyes out on the grass with glasses on and gazing up at the sky in awe. Me and my friends found a spot on the Pentacrest, and we joined in on the fun!

Seeing John Green

This semester’s main guest speaker was author, John Green, and I was absolutely floored when I was able to see him in person! My friends and I waited in line for hours, and the wait was totally worth it because we got second-row seats!!!

I swear I made eye contact with John at least three times, and my middle school self who read all his books was geeking out for the entire show. It was truly amazing!

Getting an Internship with HarperCollins

This technically hasn’t happened yet, but I do want to plug it in since I got the news this semester!

This past spring, I was informed that I had been chosen as an intern for HarperCollins in the summer and that I’ll be commuting into NYC twice a week to work in their office space! Isn’t that crazy!?!

I feel so lucky to have this opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what I end up learning over the next two months while I’m working.

Making a Field Guide

This year, I was in the Publishing II class in which our final project as a class was to make a field guide.

I had so much fun getting to know people in my class, working with a variety of student work, and overall, just having a finished book in my hand! Our launch party was also very special since we had it in the new Nonfiction Writing Building, and we had some guest speakers from the Iowa Writers Workshop.

I even got to read my published piece too which was such a nice surprise!

Making a Dent in My Reading Goals

Compared to some of the other stuff I mentioned, this isn’t as big and exciting, but it’s still something I’m really proud of.

I decided to set a goal of reading 30 books this year since I usually only read 24-25 books a year. So far, I’ve finished reading 11 books which means that I’m still on track to finish all 3o books by the end of the year! Fingers crossed I stay on that track. With summer right around the corner, maybe I’ll even get ahead on my reading!

These are just a few highlights of my semester! It still feels unreal that the next time I write a blog post, I’ll be a senior. It’s both exciting and terrifying, and I can’t wait to take you guys on that journey with me.

Until next time!!!

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Hi everyone!

Here at the University of Iowa, we’re in the final stretch of classes with less than three weeks until the official end of the semester! I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t believe how fast these past couple of months have flown by. It already seems so unreal that I’m going into my final year as an undergraduate, so I know my main priority this next year is to continue to spend time with my friends, celebrate my clubs/organizations, and really make the most out of my education and classes.

One big thing that I’ve been involved with on campus since my first year has been on-campus magazines. I started my first year as the Editor-in-Chief of InkLit magazine, and in my second year, I was the nonfiction editor of earthwords magazine. This past year, I was promoted to managing editor, and I’m excited to say that I’ll be returning again as the managing editor for my final year.

All of that being said, I love working on literary magazines which is why I wanted to dedicate a blog post to one of my favorite parts of the process: having the launch party! And I’m not kidding when I say this was probably the most beautiful launch party that I’ve been to yet!

For this year’s launch party, earthwords really leaned into the nature theme (you can also see that with the fish and pastel palette on this recent issue’s stunning cover!). So, to continue to foster the nature vibes, we decided to host the launch party at an event space downtown called The Greenhouse.

In the past, launch parties have mainly been held at coffee shops or university event spaces, but The Greenhouse is a newer location that has continued to be an open, inviting, and yes, green space for different organizations to use. Overall, the executive team thought it would reflect earthwords the best and I’m so glad we went with our guts because The Greenhouse was the right choice to showcase our newest issue to the community.

Thanks to our phenomenal Executive Editor, Sarah, we were able to have snacks, cake, and copies of the magazine ready for the contributors and their friends when everyone arrived. I know myself and the rest of the team were shocked by how many people came to get a copy of the magazine, support their writer friends, and enjoy the undergraduate literary community on campus. Our event was so much of a success that we actually ran out of magazines to give to people!

For the event itself, Sarah introduced the contributors who offered to read their work, we had a special speech from Danny, our publisher, and we were able to introduce our next Executive Editor, Sophia, who will be running earthwords next year! As for me, I was tasked with taking photos of the event to post on the official Iowa Admissions social media page, so I was on my feet the whole time! As you can see, the pictures came out beautifully!

The event came to a close way too soon and it really hit me how much I’m going to miss this staff next year. We have a majority of staff members returning, but our seniors are so near and dear to our hearts that it’s daunting to feel like I’m going to be a senior that needs to take up the earthwords mantel in a couple months. But overall, I have full faith in the incoming team and I’m so excited to see the direction that the magazine goes next year!

If you’re interested in joining a literary magazine on campus, I would HIGHLY recommend interviewing for it. You can apply even if you aren’t a liberal arts major since the staff applications for all magazines are open to ALL majors. So, even if you’re just interested in learning more about literature and writing, this is definitely a space where you can foster that interest.

But to those of you who are big readers and writers like myself, I honestly feel like the literary community is exactly the kind of community I wanted to find when I left high school. I came to the University of Iowa to be with people who love reading and writing just as much as I do, and the staff members of these literary magazines have definitely been those people.

So, if you’re thinking about coming to campus (or you’ve already decided to accept your offer!), please apply for literary magazines!

We’d love to have you!

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a minute since I’ve written a blog post. As I’m sure you can imagine, I’ve been a bit swamped with internship interviews, homework, and preparation for my upcoming finals, so the majority of my free time has been spent sifting through all of that! But that being said, I did make sure to clear my schedule for an important part of Iowa history that I’m sure many of you also tuned in (or at least heard about!). This past week, I had the opportunity to watch the Iowa women’s basketball team go head-to-head with our rivals from last year, Louisiana State University.

For those of you who don’t know the history leading up to this anticipated event, last year, our Iowa women’s basketball team made it to the final round of March Madness, and we faced off against LSU in one of the most televised women’s basketball games in sports history. The game ended with a lot of press releases, social media buzz, and an unfortunate loss for the Hawkeyes that was felt across the entire state of Iowa. Everyone was absolutely devastated for the team and rumors quickly started about us potentially playing them again for a rematch in the following year.

In a crazy turn of events, both teams excelled into the Elite Eight and sure enough, April Fool’s Day was the official date where LSU and Iowa would face off in a heated rematch that all of Iowa City (and the country) would be tuning in for!

As someone who recently got into women’s basketball, I was ecstatic to watch the game on Monday night. Over the weekend, I was quick to rally up my friends and we made the decision to go to one of the restaurants in downtown Iowa City since none of us have cable. Plus, we wanted the luxury of being able to enjoy some good food while watching a suspenseful game!

Originally, we were hoping to get a seat at Mickey’s, one of our favorite places to eat and watch sports events, but we ended up at Scout’s Honor instead which is a newer restaurant in town designed to look like a campsite!

My friends and I got seven seats toward the back of the restaurant, which was perfect because we had five television screens surrounding us at all angles. We were also lucky to show up when we did, because only minutes after we sat down, the rest of the booths and tables were snatched up by everyone else! I was extra happy to have gotten a table because I was craving a burger and Scout’s was having a deal on burger baskets that night!

We ordered our burgers and the game started in no time. Right out of the gate, Iowa scored multiple points against LSU and every time a point was scored, the entire restaurant erupted into applause and cheering. People were clapping, yelling, screaming, and rising up from their seats as the game went back and forth. The school spirit was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. It was palpable and electrifying to be surrounded by so many people all rooting for the same team, and it was one of many moments throughout my college journey where I was so incredibly proud to be a Hawkeye!

By half-time, both LSU and Iowa were tied and the tension in the air was running at an all-time high! Everyone was hurrying to the bathrooms or chatting nervously with friends at other tables as we waited to see what the second half would bring. The whole restaurant was buzzing with nervous energy since Iowa had started off strong, but LSU had come back even stronger, so by this point, it was anyone’s game.

The second half of the game proved to be brutal. No one dared get their hopes up and the excitement this time around was to a minimum as Iowa slowly racked up points one after another. As the game drew to a close, it felt like the entirety of Iowa City was slowly lifting in spirit. It looked like the women’s team was about to grab it and the moment that Angel Reese fouled out, everybody in the city shot up from their seats in applause and cheering. It was the confirmation everyone needed before we watched Iowa win the rematch and move into the Final Four.

As I mentioned earlier, the Hawkeye spirit was incredible. People were hugging, cheering, and smiling from ear-to-ear as the clock counted down its final few seconds. It was the most fun I’d ever had while watching a sports event and because of that, I definitely plan on attending more women’s basketball games shortly.

For those of you looking into the University of Iowa, I encourage you to get involved with sports on campus whether that’s from the sidelines or out on the court! Seasoned tickets will be available to students within a few short months, so keep an eye out for that and get hyped for what’s bound to be an amazing basketball season!

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