Stephanie Martin ’10 Senior Admissions Counselor

712-220-8760
stephanie.martin@nwciowa.edu

Hometown 
Clarinda, Iowa

Education 
Clarinda High School; Northwestern College, bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with reading and English as a second language endorsements

When I'm not at work ... 
I love spending time with my husband—we live in Pella—and our families, which include our adorable nieces and nephews. My family loves playing board games, and I also enjoy performing in Pella’s community theatre productions. My favorite role was in Noises Off, a play within a play, in which I played the actress Dotty Otley and Mrs. Clackett, Dotty’s character with a Cockney accent. Fun fact: Carol Burnett played Dotty and Mrs. Clackett in the 1992 film adaption of that play.

Fun fact 
I’m bilingual—Spanish being my second language. I also know a handful of words in Japanese. That’s because after my sophomore year of high school, I spent seven weeks in Japan. It was there that I discovered how easily I could pick up a foreign language through immersion. I taught first grade in Guatemala for a year and then moved to Pella, where I taught a kindergarten Spanish immersion class for four years. Immersion is the best way to learn another language!

Favorite place on Northwestern’s campus
Definitely the DeWitt Learning Commons. Windows wrap around the building, so it feels very open, and in the winter, it’s like a snow globe. There are a variety of places where students can study, plus the DLC has the Common Grounds café, making it a convenient place to enjoy a coffee break.

Favorite thing about Orange City  
I like how walkable and beautiful Orange City is. It’s peaceful, clean and safe, and the square is just a few blocks from campus. To be honest, I didn’t venture uptown often, but that’s because Northwestern had—and still has—all the entertainment a student could ask for, all within a five-minute walk from your room.

College search advice   
If you’re interested in a college, visit it. And when you visit, do everything you possibly can: tour the campus, meet with your admissions counselor, connect with a professor, and sit in on a class. When I was a high school senior, I narrowed down my college search to two schools and did an overnight visit at both of them. Staying in the dorms gave me the chance to meet college students. Northwestern stood out because everyone took a personal interest in me. I felt like I was part of the NWC community even before I made an official commitment.