Name: Joshua Marjenka
Department: Residential Services
Title: Assistant Director, Operations and Services
Where are you from? Appleton, WI
What brought you to Student Affairs? I initially became a Resident Assistant to help subsidize the cost of my undergraduate education. While serving in that role I discovered my passion for helping students learn and development outside of the classroom and decided to pursue a career in Student Affairs.
How many years have you worked in Student Affairs at Northwestern? 1
What’s your favorite part about working in Student Affairs? My favorite part of working in Student Affairs is that every academic year is a new opportunity to have a positive impact on a new group of students while continuing to develop continuing students. Each new year is also a chance to fine-tune our processes to make them better and more efficient.
What recommendation(s) do you have for someone new to Student Affairs? Don’t be afraid to bring new ideas to the table. If you think that a policy/process could be better/more efficient/more inclusive and you have the willingness to put in the work to make that improvement, share your idea and start working on it!
Who or what has had the greatest influence on your career? The students that I have served.
What inspires you? I am inspired each day by opportunities to take action to solve the problems that others may overlook.
How do you like to spend your free time? I spend my free time exploring the city, seeing Broadway in Chicago, spending time with my husband and cat, traveling to visit our families (and/or a Disney Park/Cruise), and finding ways to redecorate/reorganize our condo.
What’s your favorite spot on campus? Since I began working at Northwestern near the beginning of a very long winter, I haven’t had much time to explore but look forward to doing so this summer.
Each week a different staff member in the division of Student Affairs will be featured. Staff can opt in to be featured, by filling out the Staff Spotlight Submission form. Student Affairs Marketing staff reach out to staff from across the division asking for participation. The spotlights will be featured in the Student Affairs Snapshot e-newsletter.