Stephanie Nauta - Social Work and Spanish
Stephanie is a fifth-year senior about to graduate with majors in
Social Work and Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies. At
Grand Valley, Stephanie is a part of the Frederick Meijer Honors
College, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Latino Fellowship (LaFe),
and Latino Student Union. This semester she will also be working as a
lead consultant at Grand Valley’s Writing Center, a workplace and
community that has been a highlight of her undergrad career. Before
undergrad, Stephanie was privileged to go on several short-term
mission trips to the Yucatan, Mexico that began her interest in Latin
America, Spanish, and service. Through a local gap year program,
Stephanie was to nurture these passions by living in Guatemala for two
months and connecting with Latinx community members here in Grand
Rapids. These experiences led her to co-found Latino Fellowship, a
student-led club on campus that provides a space for Latinx students
to explore and celebrate the intersection of their ethnic and
religious identities. During her junior year at Grand Valley,
Stephanie was able to study abroad in Valparaiso, Chile for a
semester. Through building relationship with the Latinx community on
campus, her formal and informal education, and extra-curricular
experiences, Stephanie has become interested in serving Central
American immigrant populations. She hopes to do this either by
pursuing a Master’s in Social Work or attending law school to become
an immigration lawyer, and potentially working in local politics down
the road.
