Hawkeye Reporter

Des Moines Area Community College issued the following announcement.

First-Generation College Graduates Speaks Five Languages

• Fencl is a First-Generation College Student Who Wants to Give Students the Tools They Need to Succeed.
• Fencl Admits She Loves to Travel, Being a Foreign Exchange Student in Italy, English Teacher in Morocco and Enrollment Advisor in Costa Rica.
• Fencl will be Focusing on the DMACC Ankeny, Urban and West Campuses.

Shante Fencl of Des Moines has been hired as the new DMACC Recruitment Specialist. She’s responsible for outreach to high school students, attending college fairs and setting up community events to meet students and tell them about DMACC.

Shante brings a unique perspective to the job. She is a first-generation college graduate who speaks five languages, English, Italian, Spanish, French and Arabic.

“I didn’t have anyone to help me along in my educational endeavors,” said Fencl, originally from the Cleveland, Ohio area. “I want to be that helpful figure in someone’s life, to give them the tools they need to pursue an education and find personal and professional success.”

She said in normal times, she would be reaching out to students in their respective high schools.  But with the pandemic, Fencl said she has had to be creative.

“My position required a lot of travel, usually, but with COVID, most events are now virtual,” Fencl said.  “It definitely takes some creativity to engage students virtually and I am working hard to do so.”

Fencl will be focusing on the metro area…DMACC Ankeny, Urban and West Campuses.

At the age of 16, she moved to Italy as a foreign exchange student and finished high school there.  She earned her degree in international relations and religious studies from American University in Washington, D.C.  She said she hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in International Education. Her travels have continued globally.  She has worked as an English teacher in Morocco and most recently as an Enrollment Advisor for a study abroad program in Costa Rica.

“I love to travel.  I have visited eight countries so far and I am hoping to hit ten before 2023,” Fencl said.  “I’m extremely excited to work at DMACC.  I just moved to Iowa in November of 2020 and it’s been a big adjustment from working in Costa Rica to living in Iowa.  DMACC has given me a purpose here and has made the transition a lot easier.”

Fencl said she loves true crime and says she has a podcast that focuses on true crime and loves to record for it in her free time.  If you would like to visit with Shante about your college plans please email her at sdfencl@dmacc.edu.

Original source can be found here.