Emily Mozena, a graduate student in the College of Education’s Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology program, will soon be adding a PhD to her growing list of degrees from the University of Iowa, previously earning a BFA in art and an MA in leisure studies. 

'Of the nearly 5,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students earning degrees from the UI this spring, Mozena was one of only a handful of students selected to be featured in the university’s special edition of “Celebrating Iowa’s spring 2025 grads.”

The following is an excerpt from that feature:

“Emily Mozena was born in Iowa but grew up and lived in various places around the world thanks to her father’s job in the State Department. In fact, her family was preparing to move to England when she was deciding where she wanted to go to college. Her sister had already moved to Iowa City to go to the University of Iowa, so Mozena decided to follow her.

That was more than 25 years ago.

‘I came here for undergrad and never left,’ says Mozena, who will graduate this spring with a PhD in learning sciences and educational psychology. ‘I stayed for graduate school and got married and had a family. I love Iowa City and all the connections that I’ve been able to make here.’

Her journey at Iowa started with getting a BFA in art with an emphasis in painting. But Mozena says she quickly discovered that she wanted to work more with people. And partly through participating in the University of Iowa Dance Marathon and volunteering with Project Art at University of Iowa Health Care, she decided to get a master's degree in leisure studies with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation.

Mozena now works in the Department of Health and Human Physiology as a professor of instruction, director of graduate studies – MS child life, and director of undergraduate studies – BS therapeutic recreation. Before she started teaching, she was a senior child life specialist at University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Click here to read the full spotlight as it was published by UI’s Office of Strategic Communication