The rigors of higher education can be daunting, but two of Monmouth College’s newest admission counselors have a message for the prospective students they’re advising – it can be a heck of a good time, too.
“I didn’t expect to have so much fun,” said Kenzie Russell ’25, one of three Monmouth alumni who started work in their alma mater’s admission office the first week of September. “You have more fun than you’d think, and I’ll also be telling my students that you’ll be more prepared than you’d think. You really mature in college and gain an understanding of what the real world is like.”
Her Monmouth classmate, Damarian Stark ’25, agreed.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy my time as much as I did,” said Stark, who attended an NAIA school and a community college before transferring to Monmouth. “I thought, ‘Small town, small school,’ but after I gave Monmouth a chance, I made a lot of meaningful relationships that I’ll have all my life. And I learned a lot about myself, too.”
Stark said many of those relationships were formed with members of the Fighting Scots basketball team.
“We got super close,” he said of his teammates, who joined forces to win a Midwest Conference championship his senior year. “I talk to all of them almost every day.”
Home away from home
The third new member of the admission team is AJ Furness ’24. She, too, enjoyed her time at Monmouth, although she came in with a better idea of what to expect, since she grew up in a town that’s home to another Midwest Conference school – Grinnell, Iowa.
“I was familiar with Monmouth through sports events at Grinnell,” she said. “I was looking for a school that was out of state, but that still felt like home. I met with (music professor) Tim (Pahel) on my first visit to campus, and choir was what eventually brought me here.”
Furness didn’t just participate in one Monmouth ensemble. She had the opportunity to contribute in a variety of vocal and instrumental groups, along the way playing aside professional musicians, which she listed as one of the “amazing” experiences she had as a student. Furness believes it’s that freedom to participate that is a major selling point of Monmouth.
“The best thing I got out of Monmouth was the opportunity to try so many different things,” she said. “What I’ll be telling my prospective students is that if they’re not sure of their interest, if they’re not sure of their specialty, this is the exact place to explore and find out. The support you find here allows you to really branch out.”
A supportive community
Stark is a perfect example of that support. During his time at Monmouth, Stark’s knack for fashion led him to explore creating a clothing line of his own, and his Nobody’s Favorite line has been so successful that he was invited to a major sales event in Atlanta. But he didn’t go into the venture alone.
“(Art professors) Stacy Lotz and Janis Wunderlich and (career center director) Marnie Steach helped me so much,” he said. “They’d craft out their day to help me get ready. Stacy and Janis worked with me on designing my booth and getting it set up. They helped so much with that.”
Stark knocked it out of the park in Atlanta, making $7,000 in one day and networking his urban fashion line with a host of hip-hop and rap artists. He’s been invited back to Atlanta for a fall event.
Like Stark, Russell was drawn to Monmouth by a sport, as she was a member of the Fighting Scots volleyball team for three years. A highlight was being part of a squad that reached the MWC playoffs.
“Growing up, I’d been to Monmouth’s All-Sports Camp, so I was familiar with the campus,” she said. “My mom’s friend recommended it. I’m from Morton (Illinois), which isn’t huge, just like Monmouth. It really did feel like home when I got here. And that small size allowed me to get really close with my professors. When I was thinking about college, I never thought that would happen.”
Russell particularly enjoyed her interactions with psychology professor Joan Wertz, who directed her senior research; with Jen Braun, whose office is typically a hub of student activity; and with Kari Shimmin, a member of the kinesiology faculty who was also Russell’s volleyball coach years before at All-Sports Camp.
‘Get yourself out there’
“Each of them were clearly strong candidates in the hiring process and will bring a variety of skills and experiences to our office,” said Brock McNinch, Monmouth’s director of admission. “Having recent alumni as admission counselors is a great benefit to our prospective students because they will get a genuine perspective of the Monmouth College experience from someone who lived it the past few years. Monmouth made an impact on each of them, and they are ready to spread that impact to the future classes of Monmouth students.”
“I’ll be telling the students I work with to ‘get yourself out there,'” said Russell. “‘You might have no idea what to expect and you might be nervous, but once you’re here for our Welcome Week, just take advantage of all the opportunities to be involved.'”
Added Furness: “The music department really worked with me to help me be in multiple groups. They want you to get super involved, and I tried out different classes, too. Monmouth really promotes an atmosphere of involvement and exploration to the extreme.”
And it turned out to be so much fun that AJ Furness, Kenzie Russell and Damarian Stark are back on campus, looking to recruit the Fighting Scots of the 2030s.
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
