WAVERLY, IA — Five seniors at Wartburg College will showcase their documentary, “The Uncharted Battle: Life with Mitochondrial Disease,” at Wartburg’s RICE Day on April 10, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., in Neumann Auditorium. The documentary tells Jace Smith’s story. Smith was a Waverly resident who tragically lost his life to mitochondrial disease in 2016 at the age of 13.
This event is free and open to the public.
Liviah Johnson, of Preston, is a digital producer with the team, who are all seniors in the Department of Journalism & Communication at Wartburg. This documentary is a part of their senior capstone project. For more information visit https://illuminatefilms25.wixsite.com/illuminatefilms.
“I have really enjoyed the process of making this documentary,” said Addie Nabholz, the group’s project manager. “It’s a challenging final project that forces us to prepare for our future careers. The Smith family has been great to work with, and we value their trust in us to tell Jace’s story.”
RICE Day is an annual event on Wartburg’s campus that allows students to showcase their research, internships and other creative endeavors. For a full RICE Day schedule, visit https://www.wartburg.edu/rice/.
Wartburg College, a four-year liberal arts college internationally recognized for community engagement, enrolls about 1,500 students. A college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Wartburg is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning. The college is characterized by vigorous academic expectations and community engagement within an environment of strong personal support.
