As a student, Isabel Rinkenberger revamped the MBU Timeline website. Now, she remains involved while working remotely across the country. Her talent, creativity and leadership have made her an unsung hero at Missouri Baptist University.
This fall, MBU Timeline underwent a massive transformation. The outdated website was scratched, and editors went back to the drawing board.
Isabel Rinkenberger, a 2023 Missouri Baptist University graduate, led the charge to rebrand despite working full-time in Colorado Springs.
For her senior capstone project, Rinkenberger had created a theoretical redesign of the website from start to finish.
A few months after graduating, Dr. Allin Means, associate dean and professor of journalism and communications, offered to turn her ideas into reality.
“I really needed to focus on administrative duties when I became the associate dean, so this was one of those behind-the-scenes tasks that I was happy to let go of, but only if I was able to hand it off to someone as capable as Izzy,” Means said.
Currently, Rinkenberger is the website administrator for MBU Timeline, overseeing the design and backend of the site.
While the job can be thankless, Rinkenberger has a passion for serving and mentoring others.
“Technically, I do get paid, but that’s not why I do it at all,” Rinkenberger said. “I like staying in contact with the people I worked with in college but also students entering the workforce. If I can help them in any way, I’m happy to be a resource.”
Despite living across the country and managing a busy schedule, Rinkenberger remains accessible to staff and students at all times.
“A lot of people who manage content on a website are only reachable within certain parameters, days or times. But in Izzy’s case, we can shoot her questions any time, and she always responds quickly,” Means said. “It really feels like she’s part of the team.”
Kailey Schmidt, a senior editor, agrees.
“Sometimes I’ll ask her to edit or look at a story, and she’ll leave comments, then text me personally to send an encouraging note,” Schmidt said. “She’s a kind person but also very good at what she does.”
Rinkenberger is largely self-taught as a web designer, developing the skill as a hobby before coming to MBU.
“I basically taught myself WordPress, Wix and some basic code during high school and community college,” Rinkenberger said. “But my Editing and Design for Online Media class and senior capstone project at MBU also really helped.”
In her new leadership role, Rinkenberger takes a hands-off approach, granting student writers the autonomy to polish their own work.
“I want to give current students as much experience as possible to edit each other’s work and write their own stories,” Rinkenberger said. “That approach was most beneficial to me as a student going into the workplace.”
The dedicated staff of MBU Timeline have played a key role in the site’s recent growth.
“This team of editors and writers is really proactive,” Rinkenberger said. “As soon as something is written, they make sure it goes through the whole process and gets posted as soon as possible.”
Rinkenberger was not only an exceptional student at MBU but also a member of the women’s track and cross country teams.
In her second season, she earned AMC First Team All-Conference honors and placed in the top 100 at the NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championships. She then qualified for the NAIA Indoor Nationals in track later that spring.
“Izzy was very involved,” Means said. “She made really good grades in all of her classes and managed to serve as the editor of our student news site, all while running cross country and track at a high level.”
In her day job, Rinkenberger is a digital communications consultant for The Forum, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
The group breaks down immigration legislation to make it easier for the public to understand.
Rinkenberger leads design efforts, including logos, branding, and graphics. However, writing is her first love.
“It’s definitely not what I thought I would be doing after graduation, but it’s been a good way to get my foot in the political writing sphere,” Rinkenberger said. “It’s really cool to see behind the scenes of a company that is really involved in an issue that is always changing.”
For now, Rinkenberger plans to remain involved with MBU Timeline for as long as her contributions are useful. She has reshaped the program and positively impacted staff and students alike.
“Izzy fits the bill perfectly as the modern-day multimedia editor,” Means said, “someone who writes well, edits well, works well with her colleagues and understands the technical side of a website.”
