Senior’s BVU Bonds Strengthened Through Travel
Isabel Haas, a member of the Class of 2020, made the decision to come to BVU to be with family. She soon discovered her love for the University through the variety of travel experiences available.
Isabel Haas fully connected with Buena Vista University in Europe, of all places.
The 2016 Garland (Texas) High School graduate attended Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, as a freshman. She moved to Storm Lake and enrolled at BVU only after her mother, Dr. Leslie Haas, became an Assistant Professor of Education.
“I loved where I was at in Texas, but it was hard to decide,” says Haas. “Ultimately, my decision to come to BVU revolved around me wanting to be closer to my family. They were all moving here, and I didn’t want to be that far from them.”
“I want to spend time in places impacted by social injustice and poverty, and work to bring awareness and justice to those places, whether they’re in the U.S. or someplace around the world.”
Isabel Haas
So, Haas enrolled at BVU and completed the first semester of her sophomore year, a time that featured a few misgivings. Those would dissipate, if not disappear, on a J-term trip to Europe. “I fell in love with travel on that J-term trip to Europe,” says Haas, who soon realized the wealth of additional experiential learning opportunities BVU provides well beyond the campus, well past Iowa, and the Midwest. Haas spent the Alternative Week of Offsite Learning (AWOL) during spring break in 2018 in the Dominican Republic, offering her service to Outreach 360, a program that helps teach English to Pre-K students. She was set to go to rural Costa Rica for an AWOL service opportunity until COVID-19 cancelled the trek.
Travel opportunities arose with additional civic endeavors for Haas, who immersed herself in efforts such as the BV Buddies mentoring program, The Tack (editor), Student Activities Board (president), and more. Haas worked as a Residential Advisor and gained experience while completing an internship for the University Marketing and Communications office.
Along the way, Haas earned the 2019 Excellence in Mentoring Award, presented by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, who cited Haas for her dedication and service as a mentor in Storm Lake.
“Rather than look at it strictly as mentoring, I like to say that I made a friend. I’m an advocate for my student and a listening ear,” says Haas, who proudly notes that her Storm Lake High School “buddy” will also attend BVU.
By that time, Haas will be starting the first year of a two-year graduate school program at the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University. Her mission, like her travel, is worldly, to use a term.
“I want to spend time in places impacted by social injustice and poverty, and work to bring awareness and justice to those places, whether they’re in the U.S. or someplace around the world,” she says.