ERIN HABER  •  DWU Junior

Hometown: Sioux Falls
Majors: Elementary Education, Spanish

Describe yourself in three words.
Compassionate, energetic, teacher

What are your hobbies?
Travel, Spanish, photography, playing piano, playing tennis, reading children’s books

What was your favorite part of the McGovern Library Dedication weekend?
Sen. Tim Johnson quoted John Wesley during his speech saying, “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” I think this statement accurately demonstrates George and Eleanor’s dedication and passion in this world. I also think that it is a quote that we all can live by and aspire to achieve.

Why do you choose to be involved in student senate or any other service opportunity?
I choose to be in service because it is a passion of mine. I have always felt a calling to serve others and I leap at every opportunity I am presented. As president (of student senate), I have been exposed to many new and fun leadership opportunities that I could never have imagined, and I am glad that someone saw potential in me to be an effective leader.

I value ...
the passion and the love that the professors at Wesleyan show to their students. The education department has shown me what true passion is and that it is possible to be excited to go to work every morning.

My most important experience was ...
the opportunity I had last year to be in a fourth grade classroom five hours a week as part of the R.E.D.I. program (an education honors program which places aspiring student teachers in the classroom to learn about “real” school experiences). As a class requirement, I was able to teach a one-hour reading lesson for five consecutive days. I discovered how much work and dedication it requires to be an effective, creative teacher. I will always look back on that experience and remember the sweat and brainpower that I applied in order to engage my students in their learning. To see those students enjoy my classroom activities and show desire to learn was priceless!

I never imagined ...
that Wesleyan would be able to mold me into the confident, self-motivated young woman that I have become. As a freshman I was asked to be a Spanish translator for a mission trip to Peru. I had four years of Spanish instruction in high school, but I never imagined I was capable of leading 14 people through a foreign country and in a foreign culture. Being 18 years old, I did not feel qualified. Others persisted, and I accepted the position. Although the first day was difficult, and I did not understand Peruvian Spanish as easily as I had anticipated, I learned a lot about myself from that experience. Essentially it was on that trip that I realized that I could be a leader, even though I was the youngest of the entire group. If you would have asked me in high school if I would have been able to translate for a group of people, I would have laughed at the idea. That would require me to be a leader, conversationally fluent in Spanish, and more extroverted than I would have ever imagined. Wesleyan presented me this first opportunity to develop leadership skills and since then my time at Wesleyan has continued to promote personal growth.