Liz Martin ’07

This story originally appeared in the Good of Goshen.

I grew up in Wakarusa, but then in high school I went to Bethany Christian Schools here in town and then I went to Goshen College and studied there. Most of my teenage-adult life has been in Goshen, so it feels like my hometown.

I work at Goshen Middle School and I’m a master teacher here, which means that my full-time job is supporting teachers and helping them grow professionally to work with students in the classroom. When I started here at the middle school, I taught computer classes for five years and then moved into the role I have now. I’ve pretty much grown up here at this school as a teacher, and love it. I love this place.

All my family lives in Elkhart County, so I have a lot of nieces and nephews that I get to spend time with. I have a number of friends who love to run, so I’m often out around Goshen with friends running before work or after work. I’m also on the board for Goshen Youth Soccer Organization (GYSO) and love it. I played soccer in high school and college and just love being around the sport, so it’s exciting the spring session kicked off here. We’re hoping for good weather! There are a number of different kid soccer leagues and programs in Goshen. Goshen is an awesome place to raise up soccer players from young ages.When I’m halfway through a run, I love heading right out by the dam down from the hospital and just looking out over the water. That is one of the most peaceful places. Another spot I can often be found is over at The Electric Brew, with friends, sitting around chatting, reading a book. One of the reasons I love to go there is I know I’ll run into five different people who I know from the city but don’t regularly run into. It’s just so fun to be able to chat and connect.

 

I stay here partly because my family lives here, and so that’s a really strong draw for me. But also, having grown up here, there’s something about Goshen where people might leave for a time but a lot of people come back, or a lot of people stay. Growing up here, I know a lot of people, and they’re still around. Goshen can feel really small, but still within a somewhat larger setting. And there are a ton of opportunities to be involved. I’m on the board for GYSO, and I love that. I can be a part of something in our city that I think is a really positive outlet for kids, and I can also work in a school, which is another way that that happens.