It’s 3:00 in the afternoon. Students are finished with classes for the day and off to other things. A handful of students from the Student Activities Board are in the Geisinger Student Leadership Center, an open office space on the campus of Buena Vista University. With its scattered array of office tables, the GSLC is the perfect place for the group to focus on planning an upcoming comedian presentation. SAB continues planning as their advisor glances from her mid-sized office in the distance. This is much more than a happy place. This is Haley’s place.

“I mean, this spot alone just makes me happy. It’s just a fun social environment and everything about it is positive,” said Haley Stevens, Coordinator of Student Activities at BVU.

Stevens graduated from BVU in May of 2017. She was recently hired in this new role. Initially, Ebony King held the position as well as Director of Multicultural Engagement. After some restructuring, King went on to focus solely on the latter, opening Coordinator of Student Activities to Stevens. Though only several months in, Stevens loves the job. The realm of Student Affairs had not always been her end-goal however. Originally, Stevens wanted to enter the healthcare field, studying biology while a student at BVU.

“When I came in as a freshman, I had my mind set that I was going to be a chiropractor. So, obviously I went into a biology major and started with that,” said Stevens.

As a student, Stevens completed a few chiropractic internships, but ultimately decided that the work wasn’t quite as fulfilling as she imagined it would be.

“The 15 minute appointments weren’t allowing me to build relationships like I wanted to,” said Stevens.

Besides chiropractic work, she also gave science research a try.

“I did a summer of science research and realized I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab by myself all day. Again, missing on the relationship component,” she said.

It eventually dawned on her that perhaps her passion lay elsewhere.

“I think it was maybe the summer after my sophomore year going into my junior year, where I was starting to have hesitations, and that scared me a lot. Kind of this feeling of…so this major is going to be worthless…and that really freaked me out,” she said.

While a BVU student, Stevens was involved with SAB and was also Student Orientation Team Director. These positions allowed Stevens to spend quality time with the people she worked with and allowed her to get to know them on a deeper level.

“That was my passion and I didn’t really realize it. So, it was kind of an unintentional career experience. I guess nobody ever told me that could be a job,” she said.

That is, until she met with Vice President and Dean of Students Dale Scully.

“We worked a full summer together when she was an orientation leader,” Scully said. “With that, she shared with me her desire to someday get back into working with students in Student Affairs.”

Scully recalls it being around Stevens’ senior year when she started to become weary about her biology major. He believes that through working with and watching the professional staff in Student Affairs, she realized that she could see herself doing the same.

“I think Haley’s really one of those people who likes to invest in others,” Scully said.

Scully said that Haley was a stand-out choice for Coordinator of Student Activities because she really understood how student activities work, thanks to her time as SAB President and Student Orientation Director.

“I would say in Haley’s case, she brings a fresh perspective,” said Scully. “She brings a perspective that’s much closer to that of a student’s.”

Stevens said that her time spent in extracurricular groups at BVU was instrumental in shaping her career path.

“At the end of the day, I’m a product of BV,” said Stevens.

BVU Director of Student Success, Mark Shea, worked alongside Stevens while she was Student Orientation Team Director. Also a BVU graduate, Shea’s career path was quite similar to that of Stevens’. While a student, Shea studied in the field of elementary education. Just like Stevens, he later found a greater passion elsewhere.

“I enjoyed, like Haley, leading with students,” said Shea. “I was a Student Orientation Director. The reason you’re involved in those things is because you have a passion for them. So, if you’re not finding a passion in the classroom, look at those as possibilities for you to change your career trajectory.”

A smirk pops up on Steven’s face when asked about revisiting the possibilities of her biology major.

“I think I enjoy this too much to leave it,” she said, still smirking. “I don’t see myself going back into the healthcare field. This just feels more right to me than science did.”

It’s nine o’clock at night. The lights are dim in Anderson Auditorium. SAB has just concluded another successful comedian presentation. Surrounded by her student leaders, Haley gets a photo taken with the comedian for SAB’s record books. She smiles. Camera clicks. Although once set on becoming a chiropractor, Haley Stevens has found her place as Coordinator of Student Activities.