{"id":478,"date":"2023-07-31T11:28:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T16:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/?p=478"},"modified":"2026-04-13T12:30:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:30:37","slug":"8-people-you-probably-didnt-know-attended-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/counselors\/2023\/07\/8-people-you-probably-didnt-know-attended-iowa\/","title":{"rendered":"8 People You Probably Didn\u2019t Know Attended Iowa\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jake Johnson<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Any \u201cNew Girl\u201d fans? Jake Johnson, AKA the beloved Nick Miller, attended the University of Iowa for two years. He studied Creative Writing and even wrote a play that got him into NYU\u2019s Tisch School of Arts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(Mary) Flannery O\u2019Connor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Best known for her short stories, such as \u201cA Good Man is Hard to Find,\u201d Flannery O\u2019Connor attended the University of Iowa Writers\u2019 Workshop in 1946. You can find a Literary Walk Plaque on Iowa Avenue in her honor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jean Seberg<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For those who have not heard of Jean Seberg, her story is heartbreaking and worth reading about. She was an American actress, considered an icon of the French New Wave, and appeared in 34 films in her short life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After growing up in small-town Iowa, she enrolled at the University of Iowa and took up Filmmaking.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Brokaw<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although he graduated from the University of South Dakota State, Tom Brokaw started college at the University of Iowa. He was the anchor of NBC\u2019s \u201cNightly News\u201d for over 20 years, and in 2010, he was awarded an honor doctorate from Iowa. Thanks to his donation to the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2016, we have an extensive collection of his papers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ashton Kutcher<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

He may be known for his on-screen presence and modeling career, but that all began while he was a student at the University of Iowa. He was a Biochemical Engineering major when he was approached downtown in The Airliner Bar by a model scout. He may have left before graduating to pursue modeling, but we hear he\u2019s still a die-hard Hawkeyes fan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gene Wilder<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>You probably know him best for his perfectly eccentric portrayal of Willy Wonka back in the \u201870s. But did you know he was a student at the University of Iowa first?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Wilder graduated with a BA in Communication and Theatre Arts back in 1955. It didn\u2019t take long for him to make a name for himself in Hollywood, where he was best known for his comedic roles.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Arnold<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not only did Tom Arnold grow up in Iowa, but he also attended college here as well. Arnold was a Business Administration and Writing student here at the University of Iowa who went on to become a successful actor, comedian, and television host.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

John Irving<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another writer whose plaque graces our Literary Walk on Iowa Avenue. John Irving attended Kurt Vonnegut\u2019s workshop in 1965 at the Iowa Writers\u2019 Workshop in Dey House. Fun fact: He\u2019s also a member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Iowa\u2019s Center for Advancement has a great article that highlights his career<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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