Martha Schiebel Harrison grew up in Germany at a time when few young women attended high school. Starting at age 14, she worked 80 hours a week as a maid instead, but she continued to long for a chance to continue her schooling. To fulfill this dream, she moved to the United States, enrolled in high school at 18, graduated at 20, and went on to earn an English degree from the University of Missouri and a master's degree in Public Affairs Reporting from UIS (then Sangamon State University). In 2000, she retired from her position as deputy director for the Office of Public Affairs at the Illinois Department of Transportation. She and her husband Art Harrison (now deceased) moved to the Phoenix area of Arizona. Each year, in order to help young people who also dream of a better education, she gives a current-use scholarship to qualified students at UIS with financial need.