Right on track

In May of 2022, Michael ’19 and Katie (Hoffert) Marshall ’17, ’19 got married where their love story began—Mount Mercy University.

Michael and Katie’s relationship formed while running together on the cross-country and track and field teams and in a Basile classroom where they took physics with Joe Nguyen.

“Katie still gets upset when I remind her who had the higher grade on the first test,” shares Michael.

Running was a big component of their relationship, and also a big reason they both ended up at Mount Mercy.

Michael grew up attending Mount Mercy races. He had three older sisters who were in cross country and track at Mount Mercy. He was only two years-old when he began watching his oldest sister run as a Mustang.

Coach Ryan Scheckel, in particular, inspired Michael to attend Mount Mercy.

“He ran with and then coached my sisters,” said Michael, “which helped cement my decision to come to Mount Mercy to continue my academic and athletic career.”

Coach Scheckel also helped Katie make the decision to go to Mount Mercy. He, along with Katie’s best friend, Liz (Mosbach) Stanford ’16, encouraged Katie to continue her running career as a Mustang.

She was also interested in Mount Mercy’s biology and chemistry departments and small class sizes. When she received the Holland Scholarship, her decision was made.

"Joe Nguyen helped to sell the pre-med program with his success in helping students further their education after Mount Mercy University, and the nursing program at Mount Mercy speaks for itself."
– Katie Marshall '17, '19

Katie and Michael explored different areas academically. Michael eventually decided to focus on actuarial science because of his love of math. His senior year he decided to add on a finance major.

During her first few years on the Hill, Katie wanted to focus her career on women’s health. This brought her down the pre-medicine route as she planned to become an obstetrician or gynecologist.

Senior year, Katie decided that nurse midwifery aligned with her goals better. After graduating with her degree in biology and biochemistry in May 2017, Katie began studying nursing in August of 2017.

“Joe Nguyen helped to sell the pre-med program with his success in helping students further their education after Mount Mercy University,” said Katie, “and the nursing program at Mount Mercy speaks for itself.”

Joe Nguyen continued to be an important resource for Katie during her academic career and beyond.

“Joe Nguyen has guided me through many classes, labs, and breakdowns,” Katie shared. “He has helped me further my education with midwifery school long after I left his chemistry classroom.”

Katie graduated with her nursing degree in 2019. She now works as a Labor and Delivery Nurse at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

“Mount Mercy prepared me for this role by providing me the proper tools and education to succeed as a nurse,” said Katie.

Michael uses the skills he gained on the Hill as the School Business Official at Mount Vernon Community School District. The courses he took at Mount Mercy allowed him to meet the criteria to get his initial license.

“I came out of school with the necessary class and credit requirements, which allowed me to jump into the world of school finance almost immediately after graduation,” said Michael.

Michael and Katie both made a lot of meaningful connections during their time at Mount Mercy. Many of their friendships were made through running.

“Every year, I enjoy competing and catching up with my former teammates in the Alumni Race in the fall,” said Michael.

In addition to cross country and track and field, Katie was involved in Science Club and CheMMUsical.

“I especially loved my time doing CheMMUsical and helping promote cool science to children,” shared Katie.

Katie formed some of her closest friendships while at Mount Mercy. She deepened her friendship with Liz and met Tara Trcka ’17, who quickly became a close friend. When her wedding day came, both Liz and Tara stood by Katie’s side as bridesmaids.

Coach Scheckel, who played a role in both Michael and Katie attending Mount Mercy, is still involved in their lives. In fact, he and his family were Catholic sponsors for Katie and Michael’s marriage.

Considering all of the connections they made during their time on the Hill, the decision of where to get married came easily to Michael and Katie.

“Mount Mercy is where we met, so it felt right to continue what we started so long ago on campus,” they shared.

“I love that our story started at a place that helped to shape me into who I am today.”
– Katie Marshall '17, '19

For Michael and Katie, Mount Mercy was the setting for a lot of important life moments. During their time on the Hill, they formed a relationship, found deep friendships, and made connections that would impact their career and lives going forward.

“I love that our story started at a place that helped to shape me into who I am today,” said Katie.