Kalei Owens

I helped create the #DiversityIsOurStrength project, working on Social Media (Lead).

My Family History

My great great grandfather Patrick Burke was born in Country Mayo, Ireland in 1851. He came to America with his friend in 1871, and they worked in the Pennsylvania coal mines. They later moved to work at the coal mines in LaSalle, Illinois. There Patrick met Catherine Tomas and they had 9 children, including my great grandfather Ed. Patrick and his friend heard the land was good in Iowa so they went to check it out in 1901 before bringing their families to Lohrville, IA in 1902 (where my mom was born in 1964.) They then bought equipment for farming. Ed married my great grandmother Genevieve in the 1920s in Lohrville.

Living in Iowa

My favorite thing about Iowa again is how nice Iowans are. What makes me Iowan is the “Iowa Nice” that’s engrained inside of me. I think Iowans are able to talk to any stranger like an acquaintance. They are able to strike up quality conversation, and empathize with anyone they meet. I definitely have gained these traits from living here my whole life. I never noticed until I started meeting people outside of the state, and it really stood out to me that my Iowa Nice really made me stand out. When I studied abroad in Italy last Spring, I rarely was homesick, but I did often find myself missing the comforting hospitality that Iowans have.

My Dreams

I am very good at branding. I understand how a business or organization should go about creating and promoting a memorable brand. I learned this skill in Professor Matthew Wilson’s Digital Advertising class at UNI, and I have put it to practice in my Social Media Coordinator position at the Cedar Valley tech start up, Pixel Labs. I am planning to work in the advertising industry. I specialize in paid and organic social media, but I’m open to change and grow in the future.

A Teacher Who Changed My Life

Professor Matthew Wilson, Digital Advertising and Marketing, University of Northern Iowa, Matthew Wilson introduced me to the advertising industry, and through his classes I have been able to get a lot of great hands on experience. He also gives great career tips, and has worked to coordinate many advertising agency visits for the American Advertising Federation.

My Favorite Thing

A camera made by Nikon.

I got a camera for Christmas my sophomore year or high school, and it has followed me around every big place I’ve gone: ! It’s gone with me to Mexico, Germany, Italy, Greece, and France!. Traveling is something I’m very passionate about traveling, and taking photos of everything makes me feel like I have the memories I’ve made for a lifetime, and can be passed down for generations.

What #DIVERSITYISOURSTRENGTH means to me

DiversityIsOurStrength means that we should recognize our differences, but see them as powerful rather than a weakness. The most functional teams are often quite diverse due to the ability to play off of everyone in the groups differing strengths! Through this project, I’ve gained a greater understanding of the history of black Americans. I knew the history of enslaved people and segregation from school, but Norwalk, IA, where I grew up, is not yet a very diverse place. Nikole Hannah-Jones’ The 1619 Project has really opened my eyes to just how much we need to promote diversity.

Alex Knospe Amanda Jensen Annebel Trumm Ben VanHorn Brett Foreman Colin Hughes Connor Gibson Dakota Davis Elexia San Nicolas Hannah Stater Kalei Owens Leslie Owusu Madison Watland Preston Larson Reagan Saul Sami Enos

#DiversityIsOurStrength is a public web and mural project developed by Interactive Digital Studies (IDS) majors at the University of Northern Iowa. IDS is an interdisciplinary program focusing on creating digital experiences. We are using what we’ve learned in our culminating IDS Practicum course to create a highly visible public project that both addresses the challenges and embraces the future of educational diversity in the Cedar Valley.

One inspiration for this project came from the 24/7 Wall Street article that identified Waterloo and Cedar Falls as the #1 worst metro area for Black Americans in 2018. Having this distinction continues to be disturbing for all of us. Our second inspiration comes from 1619 Project, a New York Times initiative led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Waterloo native Nikole Hannah-Jones. The project reframes the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Thank you to literacy educator Dr. Shuaib Meacham, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa, who has guided this project.

Also thank you to Anthony Woodley and Mack Vos for helping in the final stages of the project. Due to COVID-19, the project became delayed and was unable to be completed by the end of the spring semester, and without their help, the project could not have been finished.

PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

Contact Us

Email: diversitystrength@uni.edu