A Foot in the Door
Minor: English
Hometown: Villa Park, Illinois
Scholarships: Distinguished Scholarship, John and Vera Wesselink Scholarship, Journey Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Trustee Scholarship and Van Tuyl Scholarship
Involvement: Student-Athletic Advisory Council and Women’s Golf
Golf brought Mickey Martens ’27 to Central College, but the opportunities she discovered on campus shaped her future. After arriving undecided on a major, Martens found her passions in computer science while building strong communication skills through Central’s liberal arts curriculum.
A chance conversation with Pella Corporation IT Infrastructure Manager Josh Prokupek ’18 at Central’s career fair led to a summer internship, where she helped modernize technology systems and saw firsthand how classroom learning translates into meaningful work. Along the way, she also competed in a national competition focused on business problem solving, gaining valuable experience and confidence.
Martens credits Central’s supportive community and faculty for encouraging her to explore new interests and embrace unexpected opportunities. She says the relationships she built with professors and classmates made the biggest difference in her college experience. Looking ahead, Martens knows one thing for certain: golf may have opened the door to Central, but the opportunities she found here inspired her to stay.