On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 27, Indiana University Northwest held its 7th annual RedHawk Induction in the IU Northwest Arts & Sciences Building’s Mainstage Theater. Incoming and current IU Northwest students, faculty, and staff were all in attendance. Each of the incoming students received an IU emblem pin to mark them as members of the IU Northwest family and to commemorate the beginning of their journey on the RedHawk Road.
Vicki Román-Lagunas, interim chancellor at IU Northwest, welcomed the students in her opening address before highlighting a few of the extracurricular activities IU Northwest students had participated in over the summer. Jon Becker, professor of mathematics at IU Northwest, took to the podium to reflect on his own college journey and stressed that consistently attending class is an essential aspect of a successful college career. Román-Lagunas considers the RedHawk Induction to be one of the university’s most important and exciting events of the year.
“At IU Northwest, we serve the community by encouraging our students to remain in the community once they graduate,” Román-Lagunas said. “We also offer many exciting programs that enable our students to contribute to our community in a variety of ways as they study here. We know that our students will be more successful if they feel that they belong on this campus, so we want to take the opportunity to welcome them. This induction is an opportunity for the faculty and staff to welcome them as they begin their journey at IU Northwest. I hope everyone who was present at today’s induction is hopeful for the future and has enjoyed this example of our campus’s spirit of kindness.”
During the pinning ceremony, students fastened the pins to their shirts as IU Northwest’s mascot Rufus the RedHawk came onto the stage to receive his own IU Trident badge. As the newly inducted students filed out of the theater, the assembled faculty cheered and waved red pom-poms. Debi Qualls, a nontraditional Class of 2028 general studies major and IU Northwest Geosciences Department administrative assistant, was instrumental in the planning and execution of the RedHawk Induction. She took to the podium as the event’s student speaker to share her personal college journey. She appreciates the opportunity to engage with her fellow classmates.
“My path looks different from my fellow classmates because I am different,” Qualls said. “When I graduated from high school, the norm was for young women to go to business or beauty school until they got married and had babies. College wasn’t really an option for us back then. I still wanted to go to college, but I let my parents talk me out of it. Here I am now, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in general studies at IU Northwest and working a full-time job. I want to show my 3-year-old grandson and the incoming Class of 2028 that you can persevere, even when life is hard. I hope that today’s ceremony has shown the incoming students that they belong here and that everyone at IU Northwest, from the janitorial staff to the chancellor, is rooting for them and is here to help them succeed.”
Isaiah Giles, one of the newly inducted students, graduated from 21st Century Academy High School this year and is now pursuing a degree in sociology at IU Northwest. He plans to eventually become a caseworker. Giles enjoyed the welcoming spirit of the RedHawk Induction and was grateful for the opportunity to meaningfully interact with his fellow incoming freshmen.
“Starting college was a little scary at first, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it, and I recognize that it’s something that I’ll have to overcome and conquer,” Giles said. “Everybody here is great. The professors are wonderful and lively, and the students I’ve talked to have been so nice. I feel like I can really socialize with these people. I was inspired by the RedHawk Induction because it showed me that I’m not the only one who’s still adjusting to the college experience. I plan to do great things here at IU Northwest, and I hope to inspire future generations as well.”
After the induction, students, faculty, and staff enjoyed soda and IU-themed cookies. When they weren’t snacking and chatting, they took turns posing for photos with Rufus in front of the IU Northwest backdrop.
To learn more about Indiana University Northwest’s courses, announcements, and programs, please visit northwest.iu.edu.