by Bill Riccetti
The CoJMC recently celebrated homecoming by showcasing multicultural alumnae in many classes and celebrating their accomplishments. Molly Chapple, an alumna and enrolled member of the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, is one of the women the college was celebrating.
Chapple graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism accomplishing a first for her family - getting a college degree.
“It was different for me being a first-generation student, applying for all these scholarships and such. I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Chapple said. “I just threw the idea out there, and it ended up working out.”
Chapple comes from Falls City, a town in Nebraska that has a population of only 4,300 people. It is so small, her graduating high school class at Falls City Sacred Heart featured only 12 students. She credits the New Buffet Scholarship from the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community for helping her get started and get through her college years.
Chapple is now attending graduate school at the CoJMC and is in her second year studying integrated media communications. She works for the college’s communications team as a graduate assistant. She writes social media posts, newsletters, press releases and stories. She is also finishing up an internship at the Nebraska 4-H Foundation where she does digital marketing and online advertising.
As an undergrad, she had moments of doubt about her path. She credits CoJMC adviser Jill Arth in really getting her excited about the journalism program. Chapple also said professor of practice Michelle Hassler’s multimedia journalism class was integral in preparing her for what she would end up doing after college.
“Her class was super helpful for my current role because it taught me about social media, graphic design, videography… pretty much the whole spectrum,” Chapple said. “We were able to dabble in a little bit of everything.”
While she was working hard and succeeding in her studies she was also exploring and embracing her Native American heritage.
“I’m in the process of trying to learn more about my culture because I recently reconnected with family members from my Native American side,” she said.
Chapple said she hopes that she will have a career that allows her to help Native American people who are in need.
“My future goals would be to work at a non profit that would benefit the Native American community so I can serve my people,” she said. “The issues I find important within that community are alcoholism and domestic violence, so those are two things I hope to make an impact in correcting.”
Chapple thinks she is ready to do just that.
“I feel that the support and guidance that I received from the faculty and staff at the CoJMC equipped me with the skills I needed to succeed in the field,” she said.