What's In Your Backpack?
PHOTO: JUSTIN TORNER/UI OFFICE OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
With the fall semester in full swing, UI senior Devin Francis is working energetically to ensure Iowa students and alumni have a happy Homecoming Oct. 14–20. In her third year on the Homecoming Council, she serves as executive director.
The African American studies major and American Sign Language minor is on the pre-law track with plans to become a civil rights attorney. No stranger to planning large events, Francis has been involved as president of Zeta Phi Beta sorority, vice president of risk management and education for the National Pan-Hellenic Executive Board, and program captain for the annual On Iowa! events for new UI students. The Colo, Iowa, native also serves as a resident assistant in Slater Residence Hall.
As an active student leader, Francis says, "I basically live out of my backpack." Here's what’s inside her black-and-gold bag of wonders:
- "One million" pens and markers for Zeta Phi Beta sorority
- Emergency rain poncho for Iowa's unpredictable weather
- Iowa Homecoming T-shirt
- Laptop with "Wakanda Forever" sticker
Also included:
- Flashcards (some dating back to the beginning of last fall)
- iPad with Iowa City RAGBRAI sticker
- Wallet that includes the ID for her dog, a border collie and Australian shepherd mix named Gumbo
- Spoon: "I'm an avid yogurt eater and don't like using disposable ones throughout the day."
- Schedule for student leadership conference
- Pin from the UI's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Human Rights Week