The lessons Dr. Jenni (Druffel) Martin '91 learned at Gonzaga Prep didn't end at graduation. They shaped a career devoted to opening doors, creating opportunity and helping others discover that education can change the course of a life.
 
Ask Dr. Jenni (Druffel) Martin `91 what she remembers most about Gonzaga Prep, and she doesn't begin with academics, athletics, or the career that eventually led her to become president of Spokane Community College.

She starts with her friends.

"My best friends today...they are still my buddies," Martin says. "We have dinner together. We watch our kids...it's just these shared experiences together. I have such happy memories of my friends and the time there."

More than three decades after graduating, those friendships remain among the constants in her life. Looking back, Martin sees them as part of an education that reached well beyond the classroom.

Today, she leads Spokane Community College, the second-largest of the state's 34 two-year institutions, where they prepare thousands of students each year for careers, university transfer, and workforce training. It is a role she never imagined for herself.

"I wanted to teach and coach," she says. "I wanted to be like Denise Schlepp. I wanted to be like Mike Arte."

That aspiration began at Gonzaga Prep.

Martin competed in soccer, basketball, and softball, earning recognition as the Class of 1991's Most Athletic alongside Jeff Hanson. She captained several teams, experiences she credits with shaping the way she leads today.

"The opportunities afforded to me as a student-athlete certainly gave me an opportunity to be a leader and a teammate," she says. "Today, I know when it's time to be a teammate and let someone else lead, just like you do in sports."

Her coaches expected more than strong performances.

"The trust the coaches put in me to be a leader pushed me to not just be a good player, but also to support the rest of the team and advocate for the team."

Arte, she says, challenged her every day. "Mike Arte made me tough. I always knew if he wasn't yelling at me, he didn't care about me. He wanted me to focus and do my best work."

Schlepp showed her the kind of educator she hoped to become.

"I wanted to be a coach. I wanted to be a mentor. I wanted to influence lives like they did."

The same was true in the classroom. History teacher Ron Long `65 sparked a lifelong interest in the subject.

"I absolutely fell in love with history and became a history major at Gonzaga University because of Mr. Long," she says. "His instructional style was really impactful for me."

Chemistry with Kurt Kromholtz `55 remains memorable for another reason. "It was my first B at Prep," she says. "And I was still just thrilled to get that B because it was hard and we made it through." She also remembers the energy of Phil Kuder `68 in his physics class.

"He had a really good classroom environment and classroom vibe," Martin says. "There are things that you learn from all of those folks that you carry with you."

Those teachers and coaches prepared her in ways she wouldn't recognize until years later. After graduating from Gonzaga University, Martin coached collegiately, eventually becoming the first head women's soccer coach at Eastern Washington University. As she and her husband began raising a family, she started looking for a path that would allow her to keep teaching while spending more time at home.

That search led her to an entry-level position at Spokane Community College, working with young parents returning to school to earn a GED or high school diploma.

"I walked into that building, and I started interacting with these parents who were coming back for education to change their lives and the lives of their kids," she recalls. "And I was like, 'Oh, this is what I'm called to do. I have to do this work.'"

Twenty-six years later, Martin reflects on the journey from the college's lowest-paid employee to its highest-paid one. What has never changed is why she stayed.

"The majority of the students we serve are on their second chance, third chance, maybe last chance at education," she says. "We change lives through education. We give opportunity through education."

Those opportunities take many forms, whether it's a recent high school graduate preparing for a career in nursing, a worker learning new skills after losing a job, or someone earning a diploma while incarcerated.

One graduation ceremony still stands out.
"I had a dad come up to me and say, 'Thank you,'" Martin recalls. "The pride in his face...his son made terrible decisions, life decisions, but this was the right one and a good one."

Looking back, Martin found herself returning to an idea that had quietly shaped her for years. "I think the care for the whole person...really resonates with me," she says. "I don't think about it on the day to day, but that is how I try...every single day."

"It's not intentional. It's just who I am."

If she could offer one piece of advice to today's Bullpups, it begins with relationships.

"That's what will get you through when things aren't going well," she says.

She also encourages students to find work that gives them purpose.

"I've been successful because I had a clear purpose. I had a clear 'this is why I do this,' and I have a pure love and joy for the work."

The friendships she built at Gonzaga Prep are still among her closest. The teachers and coaches who challenged her still influence the way she leads. Looking back, those lessons were never confined to a classroom or a playing field. They became the foundation for a career devoted to helping others discover opportunities they may never have imagined for themselves.