Annabella Marquez is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and minors in leadership studies and political science.
Marquez has been a Katherine Bruntlett Annin Legacy of Heroines scholar for the past two years. She says that her Iowa State favorite memory was when she and several friends got hot cocoa from a local coffee shop after taking the final exam for a particularly difficult course, enjoying the brisk weather in combination with the fantastic feeling of relief that the class was done.
Marquez, who is from Ames, Iowa, will be working as a paralegal while she studies for the LSAT, travels, and applies to law school.
Avery Carlson is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Carlson is a 2023-2026 recipient of a Helen Jensen Howe Legacy of Heroines Scholarship for Women in Science. Carlson says that her favorite memories at Iowa State have been meeting her partner and making new friends. She says that it has been a blessing to spend four years with her chemistry classmates and see everyone at the finish line, and that she is grateful for all the relationships she has developed, which she hopes will last a lifetime.
Carlson, who is from Marion, Iowa, is seeking a research and development position in the Midwest. (Photo by Kylie Maertens with Elevated Photography)
Brooke Friese is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and health and a minor in psychology.
Friese has been an Elizabeth Hoffman and Brian R. Binger Legacy of Heroines scholar for the past two years, and says that watching the CyHawk football game has been her favorite memory at Iowa State.
Friese, who is from Savage, Minnesota, will start the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Minnesota in July.
Danielle Nagaito is graduating with bachelor’s degree in biology and world languages and cultures (Spanish).
Nagaito, the 2025-2026 Dr. Lauren S. Hughes Legacy of Heroines scholar, says that her favorite memories at Iowa State were all the spontaneous moments with friends that ended up being really fun and unforgettable.
She will be moving to Kansas City for a church plant, working full-time and traveling, and will be applying to medical school within the next two years. Nagaito is from Ottumwa, Iowa.
Delaney Graef is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a minor in political science.
Graef has been a student voter engagement intern at the center since spring 2024. She says her favorite memory from her time at Iowa State was going to Montana for her forestry major.
After graduation, Graef will be starting a position as a recreation specialist with the U.S. Forest Service at Midewin Tallgrass Prairie. Graef is from Frankfort, Illinois.
Emily Kucera is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in forestry.
Kucera is the 2025-2026 Meylor Family Legacy of Heroines scholar. She says her favorite memory of Iowa State is the way the campus and her community evolved together, saying that as the seasons changed during her walks across campus, the friends she was walking with became her lifelong family.
From Iowa City, Iowa, Kucera is returning to Iowa State in the fall to pursue a Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS).
Hamelynn Harzman is graduating with bachelor’s degrees in microbiology and world languages and cultures (Spanish) and a minor in global health.
Harzman, who is a Dr. Lauren S. Hughes Legacy of Heroines scholar, says that her favorite memories at Iowa State were meeting great friends and professors.
Hailing from Aurora, Illinois, Harzman is taking a gap year and then applying for law school.
Kat Dillon is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
The 2025-2026 Jane Greimann Legacy of Heroines Scholar, Dillon says that her favorite Iowa State memories include meeting her best friends, going to basketball games at Hilton, and serving as president of the Collegiate Women in Business student organization.
Dillon, who is from Elkader, Iowa, will be joining Rockefeller Capital Management as a client associate – analyst after graduation.
Lauren Fisher graduated in December 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in sociology.
Fisher was an intern on the Archives of Women’s Political Communication from August 2024-December 2025. She says that her favorite memories at Iowa State were chatting in the Catt Center between classes or while working.
Fisher, who is from Ames, Iowa, will be attending the University of Iowa College of Law this fall.
Rosalyn Becicka is graduating in August with a bachelor’s degree in architecture.
Becicka, a 2025-2026 Phyllis Davis Legacy of Heroines scholar from Des Moines, Iowa, says that her favorite memory at Iowa State was going to Garage Band concerts.
Undral Erdenebat is graduating with bachelor’s degrees in biology and biochemistry.
Erdenebat, a 2026 Dr. Lauren S. Hughes Legacy of Heroines scholar, says that her favorite memories at Iowa State are studying with her friends at their favorite campus spots, which include the third floor of the Molecular Biology Building, the Student Innovation Center, and Parks Library.
This fall, Erdenebat will be beginning the biomedical engineering Ph.D. program at Washington University in St. Louis. She is from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.