We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Randie Camp, a Women’s and Gender Studies Teaching Assistant and PhD student in Human Development and Family Studies at ISU. Randie’s passion for social justice made her an incredible instructor, researcher, and collaborator. We are grateful to name the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Student Scholarship in her honor to recognize this commitment to diversity and equity on campus and in our communities.
Randie’s drive to become an effective teacher and scholar activist stemmed from being personally invested in her work. Growing up Randie experienced many adverse childhood experiences, including foster care, poverty, abuse, and sexual violence. Throughout these traumas, Randie remained resilient and compassionate.
Randie started her undergraduate degree in elementary education at Iowa State University in 2007. She went on to pursue her Master’s degree in Education at Iowa State. Her thesis topic focused on undergraduate students’ perceptions of bibliotherapy. Randie continued her graduate studies as a PhD student in Human Development and Family Studies at ISU. She earned several awards and scholarships, including the Helen E. Clark Leadership Award, the Betty Jeanne Sundling Root Family and Consumer Sciences Scholarship, and the ISU Graduate College Teaching Excellence Award.
As a graduate instructor in the HD FS Department and in the WGS Program at ISU, Randie encouraged her students to understand the world around them in a critical and informed way. Throughout her tenure as a university student, she raised her son, Noah, as a single mother. Randie was a strong advocate for her son and was committed to helping him understand the challenges he might face as a young Black man in society.
Through this graduate scholarship, we are honoring Randie’s strength, commitment, and passion for social justice through providing support to other students to carry out these dreams.