Throughout all of her experiences at Green River Heidi sums it up as saying “Green River allowed me to figure out who I was,” and that’s the message that she shares with her students today.

“There’s nothing better than witnessing a student making a breakthrough in their learning,” Heidi Sheneberger says as she prepares to welcome students back for spring quarter. Heidi has been an instructor in the Transitional Studies Program at Green River since 2006, but not all of her students know that she was once a Green River student just like them, and has many great memories of campus.

 

Heidi was originally introduced to Green River College by her parents. Their date nights were spent on campus, attending the Artist & Lecture series and other community events. As a high school student, she would study and do research in the campus library, since it was more accessible than her school library and she only lived one mile away.

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​Once she graduated from high school, enrolling at Green River was a natural next step – it felt like home after all the time she had already spent on campus.

Heidi began attending Green River in 1997 and graduated with her AA degree in 1999. With plans to go into fashion design she transferred to Central Washington University to pursue her passion. After completing school in 2001, with a downed economy and her family experiencing the recent passing of her father, Heidi once again found herself “coming home” to Green River.

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After reaching out to Carol Franklin, someone she had worked with years earlier through student government, Heidi began working with Carol as a student aid in Transitional Studies. With that experience she made the decision to attend graduate school at Seattle University to earn her teaching degree. That created the pathway for Heidi to return to Green River again, this time as an instructor.

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Today, Heidi looks back at the fond memories she has as a student at Green River, especially during the years her dad, John worked in the Papertree Bookstore. He thoroughly enjoyed meeting students from all over who attended Green River, and hearing about their stories. When he passed, Heidi and her mom decided to set up the John C. Sheneberger Memorial Scholarship in his memory. Each year the scholarship is awarded to a student showing academic excellence. Being able to honor his memory with a scholarship means so much to their family.