The Love of Learning

As a grateful recipient of the Ronald E. McClellan Scholarship, Ashlyn Haack ’22 capitalized on her Iowa State experience and shaped professional and educational dreams for the future as well.

Recent Iowa State University graduate Ashlyn Haack ’22 loves learning new things.

From glass blowing and playing the organ to helping design solar cars, she enjoyed developing a wide range of skills as a student.

“One of my favorite parts about Iowa State was the opportunity to learn and try out so many different activities,” said Haack, who is the recipient of the Ronald E. McClellan Scholarship.

She helped found the Theme Park Engineering Group, sang in the Cantamus Women’s choir, organized membership for the Student Carillonneur Leadership Council, led the piccolo section in the marching band, volunteered with FIRST Lego League, won the three-versus-three intramural soccer championship along with her team and was a member of the Homecoming court.

Her areas of study were nearly as diverse as her activities.

“I chose mechanical engineering because I have always enjoyed my math and science classes. Engineering combines those with a focus on applying them to solve practical problems and increase people’s quality of life,” explained Haack, who was a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Women in Mechanical Engineering and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. With a passion for music and developing new creative skills, she pursued two minors, one in music and the other in music technology.

All these activities enriched her Iowa State experience, helped her build lasting friendships and give her an advantage in her current career. “I have learned how to communicate and connect with many different people in both technical and casual conversations.”

She is putting these skills to use as a product designer in the Marine division at Garmin, a GPS technology company. In the future, she hopes to return to higher education to pursue a doctorate and become a professor of engineering acoustics.

Haack said donor support freed her from financial worries while at Iowa State and allowed her to focus on her studies, take more challenging classes, accept additional leadership roles and broaden her knowledge and experiences.

“[Donor support] had an impact on all of the different aspects of my life at Iowa State,” said Haack, who added that one day she hopes to pay it forward.

Ashlyn could take full advantage of so many educational opportunities and extracurriculars during her time at Iowa State because of Ron McClellan’s generosity. She was freed from the financial stress that the college experience often presents to students as a recipient of the Ronald E. McClellan Scholarship. Contact the office of gift planning at 800.621.8515 or giftplanning@foundation.iastate.edu to learn how you could transform a deserving Cyclone’s life similarly, and even establish a gift that gives you income.