SPEA Excellence
Ross Haeger
Undergraduate, Public Management
After eight years in the military — 12 months of his career spent serving his country in Iraq — Ross Haeger has seen and accomplished a lot for a man not yet 30. For Haeger, however, there's still much more to do, setting his sights on a career in corrections — an interest born in part during his time as a soldier in the disciplined environment of the U.S. Army.
"I think corrections is the field for me because I like rules and procedures," says Haeger, who earned an associate's degree in corrections at a community college in his native state of Iowa. "I also like the aspect of helping people get back on their feet as productive members of society."
Ross Haeger, Undergraduate, Public Management
Haeger gained more career insight by working as a residential officer in a community corrections facility (half-way house) while attending school. This experience helped him narrow down his career choice and led to his pursuit of a bachelor's degree in the field. After his wife was selected to complete her medical residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine here, Haeger began researching possible colleges and came across SPEA at IUPUI.
"I got on the Internet and quickly found IUPUI," explains Haeger. "The university had such a broad range of offerings; I just knew it was going to have everything I needed."
Since moving to Indianapolis in spring 2006, Haeger has been attending classes full time with the exception of the spring semester when he served as a Democratic intern for the Indiana House of Representatives. The public affairs student found out about the internship program during an extra-credit tour of the State House arranged by one of his SPEA professors. Although Haeger "has no interest whatsoever" in pursuing a career in politics, he viewed the opportunity as a chance to build his resume for the future.
"Before applying for this internship I never had a resume," says Haeger, who sought out the assistance of SPEA's career advisor to help him develop one for the intern application process. "Once we had everything down on paper, it was really kind of cool to see all that I had done."
For Haeger, that includes completing his bachelor's degree — something he would never have considered as a young man working construction jobs and contemplating joining the Army.
"When I was 19 years old there was no way I would have ever imagined I'd have a bachelor's degree — ever," Haeger admits. "Now, I'm just 14 months away."