Karen (Miller '73) Mareco
Applications specialist, Jenzabar Inc., Columbus, Ohio
Major: English education
In the beginning. Karen was not always interested in technology. "The only people who did computers were 'math' people," she says. "You could tell who the technology people were because they carried around big stacks of punch cards." During the time Karen spent at Bluffton, there was no concept of an applications specialist, her current position with Jenzabar Inc., a company that provides higher education enterprise information portals, allowing faculty and students to communicate via the Internet.
Making connections. Karen had several connections to Bluffton before she enrolled, including her parents. "My mother was actually from Bluffton and my father had attended Bluffton," she says. After spending one weekend with a friend at the college, Karen knew that Bluffton was the most comfortable fit for her.
Expanding horizons. Karen chose to pursue a major in English with a teaching licensure. Amid the tension of a country divided by conflict in Vietnam, Karen gleaned positive experiences from her time at Bluffton. There were many peace and civil rights issues raised on campus and many of her friends went on a protest march in Washington D.C. "There was a lot of rebellion against rules and regulations," says Karen. She felt that attending a liberal arts college taught her more about fostering ideas and expanding worldviews. "If I could relive a part of my life, Bluffton would be it."
Exploring career paths. After student teaching, Karen realized that she was not interested in a career in education, so she explored different job opportunities, including doing public relations writing for the Mennonite Church, working as a bank teller and working as a secretary. "I always had the ability to be logical and I had a good memory, so I knew I wanted to do something that used those attributes." After inquiring about job openings, Goshen College offered her a position as assistant director of academic computing. "I got my first computer job at age 29. I just stumbled onto it and I ended up enjoying it."
Changes in technology. In 1987, Karen began "telecommuting." While raising three children she worked as a client services analyst for Jenzabar Inc., from the convenience of her home, communicating with clients and programmers to resolve problems or defects with software. Working from home proved difficult in the early years of her career. Technology was archaic in comparison with the advances of today. Personal computers did not exist, and it was impossible to transfer calls directly. However, the developments in technology have made it more "seamless," allowing more people to work from home. Technology has transformed many aspects of present-day society and will continue to do so, specifically for students. "Technology has changed the college experience in a big way," says Karen. "A lot of college students stay instantly in touch with instant messaging and e-mail and a whole variety of research material is available via the Internet. It really is a vast change from my college days."
Katie Wrabel '08
