Fall 2025 Issue

Who Walked With You

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Story By: Brittany Carlson Prokupek ’16

November 13, 2025

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We are all mosaics made up and shaped by the people who walk with us. Professors, coaches, classmates, mentors, loved ones — each leaves an impression, a piece of wisdom, a moment of encouragement that becomes part of who we are. Over time, those pieces come together to form something whole.

No two journeys look alike. College (and life) can be challenging, but when you have the right people walking beside you, especially Central people, your path is marked by growth, discovery and purpose. The relationships built here stretch far beyond the classroom and last a lifetime.

WHERE LEGACY LEADS

When Jann Freed ’77, professor emerita of business management, arrived at Central, she expected to earn a degree. She didn’t expect to form relationships that would continue shaping her life for decades.

“As a student, I was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about me — not just as a name on the roster, but as a whole person,” Freed recalls. “Professors like Rich Glendening ’62 (professor emeritus of economics), Bob Maurer (associate professor emeritus of accounting) and Don Maxam (professor emeritus of sociology) didn’t just teach their subjects; they invested in who I was becoming.”

That investment became even more profound after graduation. Following graduate studies, Freed returned to Central — not as a student, but as a colleague to the very professors who had mentored her.

“It’s rare to walk into your first faculty meeting and see the people who taught you sitting across the table,” she says with a laugh. “It felt full-circle, like they had walked with me as a student and now we were walking together as peers.”

Over the years, those relationships deepened. Freed collaborated with her former professors on curriculum, co-led student projects and continued to learn from them in new ways.

“I always say, leadership is about relationships,” she notes. “That’s something I first learned at Central — and it’s stayed with me throughout my career.”

Freed’s professional journey eventually shifted toward leadership development, organizational change and her signature passion: Legacy. Through her consulting, writing and speaking, she challenges people to think about the impact they leave behind — not just at the end of their careers, but every day.

“Legacy isn’t only what people say about you when you’re gone,” Freed explains. “It’s the influence you have while you’re here — the daily actions that shape how others grow.”

She sees a direct connection between that philosophy and her Central experience.

“When you think about who walked with you, you realize your path is never just your own. My professors, colleagues, students — they all shaped my journey. And I hope I’ve done the same for others.”

For Freed, the lesson is clear: Relationships are the legacy.

“The people who walked with me at Central gave me the confidence, curiosity and courage to step forward,” she reflects. “And the best way I can honor them is to keep walking with others.”

ROOTED IN RELATIONSHIPS

The journey to Central isn’t always direct, and Matt Diehl ’87, associate director of Student Support Services, is the first to admit his path wasn’t. After a year as an AFS exchange student in Mexico and short stints at South Dakota State and Iowa State, it was a call from Ron Johnson, Central’s head wrestling coach at the time, that set him on course.

“Central is the place where I got to do it all. I got to wrestle, travel, earn my degree and connect with people who became like family,” Diehl says.

Those connections — teammates, professors, coaches and friends — shaped him deeply. Johnson and Greg Lonning, former assistant wrestling coach, were more than athletic mentors.

“They wanted us to be good people, not just good wrestlers,” Diehl recalls.

The same goes for education professors like Joyce Huizer and Lee Collins who pushed him to learn well enough to lead a classroom. And advice from Central’s former counselor Jon Dobernecker ’79 — that half the people in life won’t like you, and you can’t live to please them — still echoes in Diehl’s mind.

After graduation, Diehl taught, coached and mentored in multiple Iowa schools before returning to Central to work with TRIO programs. Diehl never would have thought he’d stay in one place for more than 30 years, but says the years have flown. It’s all thanks to Upward Bound legends Ed and Mary Jane Banfield modeling how to create a welcoming environment for all students and showing Diehl just how much that work matters.

“They spoke into students’ lives and helped them feel like they belonged,” Diehl says. Now, Diehl strives to walk with others just as so many walked with him — by noticing people, listening and caring.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” he says. “If students feel seen, they’re more likely to grow.”

For Diehl, walking alongside students means celebrating milestones big and small — from helping a struggling student graduate to standing with a wrestler as he learned of his father’s sudden passing.

“It’s about being there in the joyful moments and the hardest ones,” he shares.

His advice for today’s students mirrors his own journey: Seek balance, know your values and surround yourself with people who sharpen you.

“Iron sharpens iron,” he says. “We need others to help us become our best selves.”

Through every season, Diehl has lived the lesson he learned at Central — that walking with others is as much about the heart as it is about the path.

STUDENT TURNED TEACHER

When Tristan Miedema ’18 first considered college, Central wasn’t on the radar. Growing up in Pella, the hometown school felt too close, too familiar. But after a warm, inviting campus visit — and a nudge from music faculty who clearly wanted Miedema there — the choice became clear.

“Central wanted me. They made me feel needed before I even arrived,” Miedema recalls.

Once on campus, he jumped in with both feet. A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers, Campus Activities Board — if there was a way to connect, Miedema found it.

Those experiences, from planning Homecoming to singing in Candlelight Christmas Concerts, built skills he still uses today as associate professor of voice in musical theatre at Drake University, section leader and social media coordinator for the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus and as a music director for productions at the Des Moines Playhouse. Miedema was also named dsm magazine’s 2025 Emerging Leader Award recipient for his work as founding director of Des Moines’ TRANScendent choral ensemble.

But for all the memorable performances and traditions, it’s the people who stand out.

“Mark Babcock ’91 (M. Joan Kuyper Farver Endowed Chair in Music and professor of music) made me the musician I am. Sarah Van Waardhuizen (associate professor of music) made me believe I could do it. Laura Bade Shaw ’09 (former assistant director of student involvement) taught me leadership beyond music,” Miedema remarks. “I carry their voices with me every day when I work with my students.”

Those mentors didn’t just teach music; they taught life. The same principles apply today in Miedema’s own teaching.

“A voice lesson is about 40% music, 60% therapy,” Miedema admits. “We’re using music to help students navigate life. And the things I say in lessons now are the same things my professors said to me at Central. It’s like they’re still walking beside me.”

Central also prepared Miedema for a multifaceted career — one with many “lanes” running at once.

“In college, I was always doing multiple things,” Miedema recalls. “That taught me how to balance — and sometimes blend — different roles. Now, I still work in multiple areas of music, and every one of them connects back to something I started at Central.”

When asked for advice, Miedema leans on the lesson of openness.

“Stop expecting your career to look exactly like you planned,” Miedema shares. “It’s a lesson I’m still learning. But when you do the next right thing, the people who walk with you — professors, peers, colleagues — will shape where you go and how you get there.”

At Central, those people made all the difference. And they still walk beside Miedema today.