5 Questions with Stephanie Haines
A Grinnell native and Grinnell College alum, Stephanie Haines '14 received her master’s in education from Harvard University and currently serves as the College’s senior associate director of Financial Aid. An avid reader, cat lover, Haines is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in education from Iowa State and is also true Iowa royalty, having served as Poweshiek County Fair Queen in 2009 and as Iowa’s first Meat Goat Queen, having won the inaugural pageant in 2011.
Q: What can you tell us about your family and growing up in Grinnell?
A: I grew up on a small farm approximately 20 minutes south of town. You have to drive on about four miles of gravel roads to reach where I grew up, so we were pretty secluded. I come from a small family — my brother and I are the only grandchildren on both our mom and our dad’s side. A lot of my family lives in Poweshiek County, and we all have rural/farming roots. My partner, Mike, and I met when we both lived in Portland, Maine. I somehow convinced him to move to Iowa a couple years ago. We currently live in Des Moines with our cat, with whom we are low-key obsessed.
Q: What does life entail outside of work?
A: I am working toward my Ph.D. in Education at Iowa State, so I have almost no free time between school and work! Because I spend a lot of time driving between Des Moines, Grinnell, and Ames, I listen to a ridiculous number of podcasts, mostly about the news, true crime, cults, and travel. I love to watch reality TV (Real Housewives of New York City and Salt Lake City got me through this semester), read just about anything but fantasy or sci-fi, cook lots of different cuisines, garden in my backyard, spend time with my friends and family, and travel anywhere I can eat great food and take in a beautiful landscape. My favorite trips have been to places in Italy, Vietnam, Estonia, Finland, Canada, Portugal, and Spain, and Maine is my favorite state to explore within the United States.
Q: What has your experience been like working with Grinnellians?
A: Grinnellians are really passionate people. One example of how this manifests is that I have occasionally been approached by students to collaborate on personal or professional projects that relate to my work, which is really cool and something I have not experienced at other institutions. With regard to my day-to-day work, I really enjoy overseeing financial aid for off-campus study (OCS), and I particularly like working with students who have not traveled extensively. I was in their shoes in college, and I remember how exciting yet anxiety-inducing it was. Studying abroad was a life-changing experience for me, and it’s a delight to help students plan financially for OCS and hear about how OCS shapes their lives afterward. Overall, my favorite aspect of Grinnell is that it brings people together from all over the country and the world. It’s one of the primary reasons I was drawn to Grinnell as a prospective student, having not ventured all that far from home in my childhood. Although Grinnell College is situated in my hometown, it felt like it was a world away when I was a student here. I continue to appreciate this aspect of the College as a staff member. I am constantly learning about new and different perspectives, and I am in awe of people who come to our little corner of the world from so far away, sometimes having never visited campus or even the state of Iowa before.
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: Definitely Christmas. I celebrated Thanksgiving with a group of my closest friends from 2014 through 2022. Each year watching ridiculous Christmas movies has been a key part of our annual Thanksgiving celebration, and it kicks off the Christmas season. Additionally, my mom and I have long set aside a day to make an absurd amount of holiday cookies and candies, and my sister-in-law has joined the tradition recently, too. It’s basically a baking marathon. We love the process of baking together while listening to Christmas music and enjoying some festive drinks, and it’s fun to share our baked goods with friends, family, and coworkers.
Q: What were your duties as Iowa inaugural Meat Goat Queen and as Poweshiek County Fair Queen.
A: My family raised and competitively showed Boer goats, which are a South African breed of meat goat. Candidates for queen submitted an application to the Iowa Meat Goat Association, which included an essay about your involvement in the industry, and an interview with a panel of judges. I was the very first Iowa Meat Goat Queen, so the Association and I were both learning what my role entailed throughout the year. For the most part, I wore my crown and sash at the goat shows throughout the state, including at the Iowa State Fair, helped the judges in the show ring, and just generally served as a visible person with whom people within and outside of the industry could connect. As the 2009 Poweshiek County Fair Queen I attended all the livestock shows during the county fair, helped with various ceremonies, was a visible presence throughout the fair, participated in parades and other events, and represented Poweshiek County in the Iowa State Fair Queen competition. A big part of the state competition experience was also building relationships with the other county fair queens from across the state. I am still connected with a few of them on social media and think of them when I see a license plate from their county. From what I can tell, these kinds of queen competitions are unique to the Midwest, so it’s always my fun fact that I share!