Though they comprised a small portion of the university population, non-traditional students were an integral part of the student body, bringing an unusual perspective and set of life experiences. Married freshmen Zach and Alex Martin were classified as "non-traditional" students, but that description only scratched the surface of who they were. The Martins were a military couple raising a son, Isaac, born August of 2012. He was even a bit of a Harding student as well, as he occasionally attended chapel with Zach and Alex. Zach and Alex met at a mutual friend's home Bible study in April of 2009, about two months before Zach left for boot camp, and hit it off. The couple began dating two weeks before his departure. " I was very impressed with her modesty and the close relationship and respect she had for both her family and God," Zach said. "I fell for her hard to say the least, so just two weeks before boot camp, we started dating, and the rest is history." Dating while in the military was a challenge, but Zach proposed to Alex in March of 2010, a month before his fivemonth deployment to Afghanistan. While Zach was away, Alex began her freshman year at Harding, completing one semester during his deployment. "The whole time he was overseas, I was here at Harding starting my freshman year," Alex said. "It was hard being away from him for so long and the worst part was not being able to talk to him but every other month or so. I learned to rely on God completely. Our relationship grew tremendously during his deployment as we learned to communicate with each other, which I believe helped us in our marriage as well." The Martins' road to Harding was an indirect one. They married in December of 2010 and moved to California for the remainder of his enlistment. When Zach's service ended in March of 2013, they lived with family in Texas, before spending the summer in Clarksville, Ark., to do youth ministry. They then relocated to Searcy in August to begin school. Zach and Alex attributed their success to God's faithfulness in strengthening them through difficult transitions. "I have an amazing wife who is an incredible mother to our son," Zach said. "We have an awesome God who supplies us with our needs." Zach added that his time in the Marines prepared him in many ways for his future. "I also learned a thing or two about hard work, and just being a man and taking care of business,'' he said. "The determination and discipline that comes with [being a Marine] helps you really be motivated to push yourself, and to be more willing to confront challenges." Tackling school, marriage, parenting and work was a demanding undertaking, but the Martins quickly developed a system allowing them to juggle their responsibilities. "It can be difficult balancing school and family,'' Alex admitted. "The hardest part is trying to find time to do homework when Isaac, our son, just wants to play." The couple credited God with their success in unorthodox circumstances. "God has blessed me with a God-fearing man and a beautiful baby boy, and he has led us through every obstacle in between," Alex said. "I have learned in the past five years to trust in the plans of God has made for me." Senior Brittani Malec, who met Alex during Alex's first semester of school, praised the Martins as a couple whose strong relationship was founded on God. "Their story is beautiful, and God has been with them and blessed them throughout all of it," Malec said. "Being in the military is hard and noble, but the spouses of those military men are often over looked. I admire them both and think they are wonderful people and a really great family." Reid Belew "The God of the universe can definitely give balance to a young family in college." Freshman Zach Martin
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