My husband Ron Haag '91 and I live in Ellis where we raise our three children - Zeke, Kaydawn, and Asher. My focus is on the activities of these three so I attend sporting, scouting, dancing, and school functions in my "free" time. I graduated from Kansas Newman College with my BS in Secondary Education and from FHSU with my MS in Communication. I spent 15+ years in education, most recently as a high school English teacher, librarian, and professional development coordinator at Thomas More Prep-Marian.
What do you now do for a living? How did you end up choosing this career path?
My current title is Faculty Development Training Specialist in the Teaching Innovations and Learning Technologies (TILT) at FHSU. This position is through many years of journeys that trained me for the skills necessary for this position, but I had no idea at the time that was happening. I began in secondary education out of college, teaching high school English. After my children were born, I stayed home to raise them until they were in school full-time. The activities I lead because of my children as well as volunteering and substitute teaching in the schools and serving as an adjunct in Communication Studies, honed my organizational and event planning skills. I spent one year working for a non-profit organization, conducting trainings and tracking involvement in events. I returned to the high school setting, again teaching English, but adding professional development coordination to my vitae. Each of these experiences trained me in ways I didn’t realize were leading me to this career, but all were necessary for the skills required.
Why did you choose to attend FHSU?
I had returned to FHSU to earn my master’s while serving as a full-time member of Ameri-Corp. I wanted to become a journalist and I knew the Communication department produced strong journalists so it only made sense.
What are your favorite memories from your time as a student?
I have fond memories of times with fellow grad students as we worked our way through the program. These friendships truly served as my support system while a grad student. Some of us attended a conference in Washington, D.C. together during the 2000 Presidential Election. It was a historical time to be in our nation’s capital and one memory I often share with others when talking about how FHSU gave me experiences like this one.
What advice do you have for current or prospective FHSU students?
Enjoy the journey. Too often our focus is only on the end result and we don’t enjoy what brings us to the end. Like my journey to my current career, we don’t understand why we take the roads we do sometimes, but all are necessary to give us the knowledge for where we land.
Tell us about someone at FHSU who has left a lasting impression:
This is a difficult choice to choose just one. Since I’ve been associated with FHSU in some form or another since 1994 in many different ways, there have been many from multiple departments who’ve left a lasting impression. Dr. Carroll Haggard guided me through the thesis process and was invaluable in sharing his expertise and Marcella Marez was not only a classmate but a mentor in my adjunct career. Dr. Steve Sedbrook has been involved in some capacity of my life - either educationally, professionally, or personally - for the last 20 years.
In what ways are you proud to be a Tiger?
I’m proud to be a Tiger because it means I’m from an institution that values hard work, determination, and the importance of community.
Latisha Haag ’03
