Emily Nyren

Emily Nyren aims to use her event management degree to plan weddings in the future. When she isn’t studying, Emily enjoys hanging out with friends, watching Netflix, and scrolling through TikTok.

Get to know Emily

  • Major: Event management
  • Class: Sophomore
  • Hometown: Johnston, Iowa (Polk County)
  • Career goal: Wedding planner
  • Clubs/activities: CHS Honors Program
  • Awards/honors: Dean’s list
  • Favorite place on campus: Central campus
  • Most influential ISU mentors: Jamie Beyer, Alyssa Stoehr
  • Favorite class: EVENT 373, Wedding Planning
  • Why Iowa State: beautiful campus, welcoming staff and students, No. 1 event planning program in U.S.

High school internship leads Emily Nyren to world of event management

Emily Nyren has been planning events since high school, but she didn’t know it was a passion she could pursue professionally. Emily found a career that she could flourish in through Iowa State University’s four year event management program, ranked No. 1 in the country.

“Ever since I was younger I’ve wanted to plan events, but I didn’t know that was a major you could do,” she said.

During high school, Emily’s favorite part of being involved in clubs was planning their events. It wasn’t until her senior year that she learned that she could plan events for a career; her school’s School to Work program led her to an internship with Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa. That experience opened her eyes to the opportunities that event planning had in store for her.

Along with day-to-day operations, Emily assisted in developing and executing Living History Farms’ first ever Kids Trail Run. Helping create this staple event for the organization solidified Emily’s excitement to learn more about managing events. Learning that Iowa State offered an event management major that prepares students to manage events such as concerts, business conventions, athletic events, and more, Emily’s first choice for college was clear. She was ready to get a jump start on an exciting, ever-changing career.

“I fell in love with the idea of planning events for the rest of my life. I knew for sure that [event management] was what I wanted to major in when I came to ISU,” she said.

Emily’s goal after graduation is to plan weddings. Her classes have helped her gain expertise in this interest, and industry skills for any event that may come her way.

“Event classes are different because you can choose what you want to learn about,” she said. “I love the idea of [weddings] and how much goes into planning them. Each wedding is so unique.”

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