Educator Eyes Residency Portion of BVU Professional School Counseling Master's Program
One-week residency on the BVU Storm Lake campus proves to be popular.
Crystal Hale, an educator who says she enjoys having summers off, looks forward to returning to class this upcoming summer as she’ll spend one week on the Buena Vista University campus for the resident session of the BVU Graduate School program in professional school counseling.
“We held the resident portion of our program via Zoom last summer because of health and safety protocols related to COVID-19,” Hale says. “We’ll be on campus this summer and I’m really looking forward to being face-to-face and spending time with those in my cohort. It’s amazing how close you can grow with fellow students without actually being with them in-person."
“We are excited to welcome students in the professional school counseling master’s program back to campus this summer,” says Dr. Renée Fensom, BVU Assistant Professor and Director of Professional School Counseling. “The in-person summer residency is designed to maximize learning while encouraging students to become closer as friends and colleagues. A sense of community is built during summer residency, allowing students to feel safe and trust one another as they continue their personal and professional growth throughout the program.
“In addition, the in-person residency provides an environment that is crucial to learning and developing critical counseling skills, imperative to the role of school counselors,” Fensom continues. “The annual one-week summer residency on our beautiful lakeside campus in Storm Lake, is a benefit highly valued by our students and colleagues."
“I don’t think I’ll ever lose the passion I have to support people with their needs. Earning my master’s degree in this program seems to be the next logical step."
Crystal Hale
Hale, a resident of Earlham, has been employed by the Earlham Community School District since 2007. She currently serves as Student Success Coordinator and Human Services Career and Technical Educator.
“I teach at both the middle school and high school,” she says. “The Student Success role plays out at the high school."
Hale earned a master’s degree in public administration more than a decade ago. The rigor of that program, and the memories associated with it, left her a bit unsure when it came to considering enrollment in BVU’s professional school counseling program. Those fears, however, went unfounded as Hale soon learned how the convenience and accessibility of BVU instruction has helped boost graduate enrollment by 154 percent over the past five years.
“I like having class through Zoom once per week,” she says, noting her BVU instruction takes place from 6-8 p.m. each Monday in eight-week terms. The result is a master’s designed to be taken alongside one’s current career in the span of two years.
Hale, who has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, worked for Lutheran Services of Iowa before coming to the school district in Earlham. A desire to serve others coupled with a forthcoming “empty nest” had Hale focusing on the potential of earning another master’s, this time in professional school counseling.
“I have a sophomore and a junior in high school and once they’re gone from home, I know I’ll be asking, ‘What’s next for me?’” she says. “I don’t think I’ll ever lose the passion I have to support people with their needs. Earning my master’s degree in this program seems to be the next logical step."
A human development class Hale and her 18 classmates completed just before the New Year has her examining the plight of children from various vantage points. “The self-reflection portion of that class helped put into perspective for me all of the things children are going through at this time,” she says. “It was extremely helpful."