Wartburg College recently recognized four outstanding young alumni for service to their communities.

The Young Alumni Award honors graduates from the past 15 years who are living the four pillars of the Wartburg College mission statement: leadership, service, faith and learning.

This year’s recipients are:

Brooke Trent, of Cedar Falls, graduated from Wartburg in 2004 with a degree in business administration. She went on to graduate with honors from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she earned the Boyd Service Award. After working for a Waterloo law firm for eight years, she opened Trent Law Firm in 2015. Two years later, she opened Triumphant Living LLC to assist seniors in making decisions without family support. She also has served as a mentor teaching financial literacy skills to at-risk children through the Job Foundation, named for the biblical figure. She has taught through Grow Cedar Valley Leadership Institute and as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa, Hawkeye Community College and Upper Iowa University. Trent was been named the Volunteer for the Year for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and served the organization as the Cedar Valley Committee chairperson.

Nathan Peterson, a clinical pharmacist from Wilton who oversees antimicrobial use at multiple UnityPoint Health campuses in the Quad Cities area, graduated from Wartburg in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He went on to attend the University of Iowa, where he founded the Phi Delta Chi Pharmacy Fraternity-Nu Chapter. After graduating in 2014 with a Doctor of Pharmacy, Peterson competed for and completed two post-doctorate residencies, specializing in infectious disease and practices at the top of his field. He also serves as a lecturer on infectious disease at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and has published his work and presented multiple times at national pharmacy conventions. In 2018, he was named among 10 Iowa participants for the Leadership Pharmacy Conference, which provides leadership training.

DeEtta Lee, of Ottawa, Kan., graduated from Wartburg in 2009 with a degree in communication arts. She currently serves as the communications director for Kansas City’s American Heart Association, promoting the organization’s programs and events. An avid runner, she started a running club in her community and has volunteered with Girls on the Run, a program for girls in third through eighth grade. She also uses her talents to create marketing materials for other nonprofit agencies and serves on committees and boards for several organizations. Lee has co-authored grants and formed a partnership with her hometown library to provide summer literacy programs, which serves about 150 students.

David Voves, of Waverly, graduated from Wartburg in 2007 with a degree in math education and began a career as a high school math instructor at Charles City High School, fueled by a desire to help all students learn difficult concepts. He completed his master’s in education leadership at the University of Northern Iowa in 2011, then completed his instructional coach certification at UNI and the Central Rivers Area Education Agency. Now, as the instructional coach for the district, he helps teachers become better educators. He also has created courses to help teachers earn renewal credits in emerging subjects like growth mindset and trauma-informed practice. Voves also is an active faculty sponsor for National Honor Society, coordinates the annual Freshman Retreat and is on the board of the Community Excellence in Education Foundation.

The four honorees were presented with their awards at a banquet on campus April 12.