From first gen to guiding the next generation

Hunter Wienke knows firsthand how overwhelming higher education can feel: choosing a college, applying, getting settled, picking a major, making friends, finding a community, and so much more.

Originally from Highland, Michigan, Hunter was a first-generation student at the University of Iowa in 2019—a school he admits he chose because his high school English teacher recommended it. “I wasn’t really career or future oriented in high school, and I didn’t visit any colleges before deciding on Iowa,” he recalled. He had always liked writing, and Iowa has a renowned creative writing program, so off he went.

Now, as IU’s first leadership programs coordinator for the Student Involvement and Leadership Center (SILC), Hunter is using all his past experiences to help students just like him find their way.

His path to student affairs

After graduating from Iowa with a degree in English and Creative Writing, Hunter knew he wanted to stay in the state because his girlfriend, now wife, Cheyenne, had gotten a job as an eighth-grade English teacher.

(The couple has a good meet-cute story: they were both taking an Irish Modernism literature class over Zoom, and she sent him an email asking if he wanted to be her friend. The email is now printed and hanging in a place of honor in their home.)

He landed a job as coordinator of the Latino Native American Cultural Center at the University of Iowa—a perfect gig for Hunter who worked as a center programming assistant while earning his degree. He is Anishinaabe, a descendant of the Gakiiwe’onaning Ojibwe in Northern Michigan.  As an undergrad, Hunter also served as vice president of the Native American Student Association at the University of Iowa.

That first job in student affairs sparked a career path for Hunter.

“I discovered that I like working with student leaders,” he said. “When I got into the professional world of running a culture center, my career path was cemented. I knew that I wanted to share my experiences and knowledge with college students.”

Guiding student leaders

After a year or so of post-college life in Iowa, the couple moved to Bloomington because Cheyenne was accepted to IU’s MFA program for poetry. Hunter was on the job market again, and things worked out well for him—and for IU.

In his role as student leadership coordinator, Hunter leads a team of student leadership ambassadors to help IU’s student population gain the knowledge, values, abilities, and behaviors to be inclusive and purpose-driven leaders.

Hunter credits his students with making SILC’s custom leadership facilitation program possible, as they meet with campus partners and student organizations to create custom workshops.

“I’m in constant connection with my students: getting to know more about them and helping them find opportunities to grow their skills. The best part of my job is having student employees I can get to know personally and be a mentor for,” he said.

More about Hunter

• In addition to his full-time job at IU, he’s working on his MFA in creative writing in the low-residency program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He’s working on his first novel.
• Outside of work and school, Hunter is a plant lover. He’s been cultivating a small garden in his IU office featuring a baby pawpaw tree, one of Indiana’s native plants.
• What’s next for Hunter? “I’m always going to be involved in writerly circles because I like to think and talk about writing,” he said. “But I also want to keep supporting students in higher education.”
• Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky is his favorite author, with Notes from a Dead House a particular favorite. Hunter’s office even features a small photo of the author.