Student Spotlight: Stephanie Herman

Stephanie Herman ’18 was part of the Graceland University group that traveled to Dunfield House in England for May Term 2017. Graceland has a tradition of providing life-changing opportunities to experience intercultural learning, one of the high impact practices the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has determined to help bring about student success.

Traveling to another country in itself is a learning experience that broadens the perspective and contributes to a global outlook. Stephanie took Dr. Steve Glazer’s class on European history. It was the first time she had ever traveled outside the U.S.

“It was an amazing experience to see the differences in customs and dialects,” shared Stephanie. “Dr. Glazer’s class gave me the opportunity to see WWII in a different way; he presented viewpoints from the European lens. I’m passionate about social studies and excited about being able to provide my future students with a different perspective and outlook from another country. Traveling with the group also helped me branch out and make friends with people other than the volleyball team and my housemates. It was such a great opportunity.”

Stephanie will student teach in the spring in Mount Ayr, Iowa, adding another experiential learning opportunity to her skillset – one that is built into the education curriculum. “Practicum is a guided experience toward professional development, and I’ll be doing my student teaching at the same time. My classes were set up so that I could play volleyball and still fit everything in. I’ll have my coaching endorsement for volleyball as well.”

A senior from Las Vegas, Nevada, Stephanie is an elementary education major with a minor in communications. “I fell in love with the community and met a House president when I came to visit. She gave me the low-down on the House system and encouraged me to be involved as much as I could.” Stephanie took her advice and was on House Council, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and is a captain of the volleyball team.

“The best part about Graceland for me is the education I’ve received. The professors have really shaped the person that I am today. They’ve challenged me academically, given me new perspectives and shown me who I am capable of becoming. They’ve invested so much time and energy in me. I had no idea that I would actually be a partner with all these professors who really care about my future, who do whatever is necessary for my development. I am so grateful to Graceland’s professors who have modeled what a great educator is like. As a future educator, they really encourage me and give me hope.”

Stephanie is in Honors classes in English, humanities and U.S. Government. Her junior Honors seminar was about how to enhance student learning with historical fiction.

With students like Stephanie in Graceland’s lineup, our future looks bright.

“Stephanie is an extraordinary student who, in everything she does, models professionalism, high achievement and poise. Her enthusiasm, creativity and diligent work set the standard for my class at Dunfield; although, in her modesty, she would probably insist it was a team effort. It has been a privilege to work with Stephanie, from her first semester at Graceland in my World Civ. class, to her senior year as she completes her Senior Honors seminar.”

– Steve Glazer, PhD

Professor of History