Summer Spotlight: Bonnie VanDer Schaaf

Student workers are a foundational part of Hardin-Simmons University. Some student worker roles on campus focus on aiding professors or tutoring fellow students, and many more revolve around HSU operations and staff. One such role is in the HSU Marketing Department, where Bonnie VanDer Schaaf finds her home. 

Bonnie is a sophomore and has remained on campus over the summer to continue working in the Marketing Department. In the office, she serves as a Graphic Design Student Worker, helping the designers create and edit graphics for various pieces. 

As an art major, Bonnie quickly settled into her role after deciding to apply. “I looked through the open student worker positions on campus, and this was one of the jobs that stuck out to me,” she shared when asked what led her to take the position. “I knew that my focus in art was going to be in digital media, so my dad inspired me to look further into this job and apply for it!”  

Recently, she was able to fully design and contribute to the development of new bookmarks for the English Department. She said they “were particularly fun because I got to draw out a design and flesh it out as a graphic, then have it officially printed out.” 

As she heads into the summer as a more confident designer, Bonnie recognizes that she couldn’t have felt this welcome if it weren’t for those she works closely with within the office. “Our Project Coordinator, Ana, is great at keeping me on track and helps me out if I have questions, as do our graphic designers Todd, Fernando, and Erin – there have been many times where I would have been completely lost without them.” She thanked her fellow student workers for helping to share the workload: “Our new graphic design student worker, Hailey Erlund, has helped keep me from feeling too swamped. Catrina Tamblin has also helped me with organization now that I’m more focused on graphic designing.” 

As more projects see hints of her touch, she hopes her work helps and contributes to the HSU family. “The connections and friendships I’ve formed at work are, arguably, my most consistent way of being connected to others here at HSU while I’m away from home.”