Everyone has a characteristic that makes them unique. For these individuals, it was never enough to stand up, for they have accomplished many things by standing out. These four students are making their mark on the history of Iowa State University.

Devin Wilmott

For much of her life, Devin Wilmott has tried to force herself into a box, a box shaped by the opinions of others.

Now, the senior in kinesiology and health entrepreneur is convincing others that the box doesn’t exist.

“I don’t want anyone to go through what I did,” Wilmott said. “ I don’t want anyone to feel like they’re in a box.”

For Wilmott, it all started on a treadmill in Dallas, Texas, during Spring Break of her sophomore year as an Iowa State student. She lived father and moved in with her mother in Dallas to graduate high school. 

She was born in Fargo, North Dakota, where he mother had lived for a few months. Wilmott said she does not claim a hometown because her parents were divorced and she was always moving back and forth. 

“I don’t identify myself from anywhere,” Wilmott said. “When people ask where I’m from, I usually say the Bahamas.”

Wilmott’s father was born and raised in the Bahamas. Her mother was from the Midwest. Growing up, Wilmott always wanted to be the center of attention, which often left her subject to negativity toward her bi-racial identity and body image.

“Through all my experiences, I never knew who Devin really was,” Wilmott said. “I wanted to be the center of attention because I wasn’t fully myself.”

Despite the negativity, Wilmott had always maintained an interest in music. She enrolled at Iowa State four years ago with an intent on pursuing a career in music.

“I wanted to be a producer and an artist,” Wilmott said. “I was told I had to lose weight in order to do the music things. I needed to lose weight to have a look, though I had a good voice.”

As a result, Wilmott began doing extreme diets and working out multiple times per day.

“I knew some things about fitness,” Wilmott said. “I thought I was really into it.”

At the time, Wilmott had taken up writing for the Iowa State Daily. Wilmott’s venture into fitness inspired her to contribute to the “Self” section, which would set a platform for thing to come.

She would go on to co-found “Happy Strong and Healthy Magazine,” a student-led publication dedicated to physical and mental health, as well as nutrition.

At the end of her sophomore year, Wilmott took it a step further, fostering Train With Dev, a personal training service that provides workout, nutrition and sports conditioning for its clients.

Wilmott is also the CEO of I Conquer Everything “I.C.E” Labs Nutritional Supplements, a company she launched in February in collaboration with a few business partners.

She also records music as a hobby.

“I want you to change your body because you want to change your body,” Wilmott said. “You are the pilot of your life.”

Jocelyn Jackson

Jocelyn Jackson, senior in mechanical engineering, said that being true to oneself is vital to one’s success.

“When people see me, they don’t see an engineer most times,” Jackson said. “No one ever guesses [that I study] engineering.”

Jackson is an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers at Iowa State. She was awarded the Multicultural Vision Program (MVP) award, which grants full tuition to 100 incoming multicultural students each year, before attending Iowa State.

She has also interned at John Deere for three straight summers. In addition, she gave a presentation at last year’s National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, or NCORE.

Born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, Jackson grew up in a household that stressed the importance of a college education. Jackson said she began looking into math and science in middle school.

“I didn’t like reading, writing or business studies,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t the brightest student, but I excelled in math and science.”

In high school, Jackson participated in Project Lead the Way, an initiative that sought to introduce high school students to the field of engineering by implementing engineering courses into the curricula.

“I took a course focused on design,” Jackson said. “I thought the class was really fun. We got to create things and it didn’t feel like a class.”

Post graduation, Jackson was awarded the MVP Scholarship from Iowa State, which drew her to attend the university. She was also drawn by the welcoming nature of the diverse communities at Iowa State.

“There may not be a lot of students of color [at Iowa State],” Jackson said, “but [the community] feels like a family.”

Now, Jackson is working on a research project studying tribology, or the study of interacting surfaces in relative motion. The project, funded by the Federal Aviation Administration, looks to create a coating that will help repel water from runways.

Jackson is enrolled in a concurrent master’s program. She plans to pursue a doctorate in material science.

“Not a lot of people have [doctorates],” Jackson said. It’s hard to tell someone they should pursue higher education when there’s not many examples of people with Ph.D.s.”

Tre Moore

Tre Moore, senior in journalism and mass communication, was never one to blend in. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Moore grew up feeling like he was born in the wrong place.

“I was aware of the world out there,” Moore said. “I was just [in Iowa] for the time I needed to be here.”

Last fall, Moore, alongside long-time friend Sequan Gatlin, senior in journalism and mass communication, sought to revamp the design, style and content of Sir Magazine, a student-led publication that focuses on the realms of lifestyle, gear, travel, food, sports and entertainment.

“When I first thought of revamping it, Sequan was one of those dudes who wasn’t a part of [the publication], but he was somebody I went to for [advice],” Moore said.

Gatlin and Moore grew up together in Davenport. Gatlin said they met in the first grade.  

“[Moore] definitely began to express himself more before I did,” Gatlin said. “I was always more structured and stuck to button-down shirts.”

Moore became interested in fashion while he was in middle school. He looked up to pop-culture icons Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco.

“Those guys were doing different stuff,” Moore said. “They didn’t fit in at the time, and those were guys I could relate to.”

Gatlin did not start to explore different types of fashion until his freshman year of college. His fashion sense was inspired by the likes of rapper Young Thug and actor Jaden Smith. Gatlin first encountered Sir Magazine two years ago when the former editor-in-chief asked him to model for the magazine.

“I never modeled before,” Gatlin said. “From there, it opened me up to the art of modeling, and it opened me up to acting a little more.”

Gatlin was an experienced actor, having performed in plays and musicals while he was in high school.

“[Gatlin] and I have had our own creative paths,” Moore said. “He was doing modeling but he still helped me.”

Gatlin is now the casting director and assistant to the editorial director of Sir Magazine. Moore was granted the role of editor-in-chief of Sir in fall 2016. He said he wanted to rebrand Sir magazine. Gatlin agreed, stating that the magazine has become more artistic.

“We wanted people to have more creative freedom,” Gatlin said. “That’s where the magazine is headed.”

Moore said he wants Sir to become a premiere organization on campus. He said the fall issue received positive feedback, and he was pleased with the way it turned out. Gatlin said he will continue to support Moore’s vision to create innovative content.

“[Moore] did his thing,” Gatlin said. “He showed his talent. He showed what he was capable of. He showed his vision. I’m really proud of him.”