Since graduating from West Virginia University in December 2019, Clara Haizlett ( International Studies and Spanish, ’19) has been exploring the cross-cultural dialogue between her native Appalachia and the Arab world, which she experienced extensively while a WVU student.
Growing up in Bethany, Haizlett aspired to travel the world as much as possible. That’s how she ultimately chose her international studies and Spanish majors.
“Where I grew up, there isn’t a lot of diversity. I was just so taken by the concept
of traveling, diversity and globalism,” she said. “I just knew that I wanted to
study something related to travel. I asked myself, how can I travel while I'm in
college?”
Before she even arrived on campus, Haizlett found a way to get started on her goal.
She took a gap semester to volunteer in the Dominican Republic and expand her knowledge
of Spanish.
“It's abnormal for most students to arrive on campus midway through the academic year,” she said. “But if prospective students are reading this, I highly encourage you to take gap semesters, just try to take some time in between high school and college, because that really helped me understand what I wanted to do and focus my goals.”
During her WVU career, Haizlett traveled abroad as a Boren Scholar in Amman, Jordan, and received the Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Tangier, Morocco.
I just knew that I wanted to study something related to travel. I asked myself, how can I travel while I'm in college?
– Clara Haizlett
These highly competitive and prestigious national programs provide fully funded overseas language and cultural immersion programs. With a goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering global languages and building relationships between the United States and other countries, the scholarships provide opportunities to a diverse range of students at every level of language-learning.
“My dream was earning those scholarships. Alumni and other current WVU students gave me great advice, and I highly encourage any prospective students who are looking at those scholarships to reach out to past participants, because they'll be more than willing to tell you everything about their experiences and give advice about applying,” Haizlett said. “I put myself out there for things like this so many times. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out the first time because you have to try so many times before you get these things.”
Haizlett spent summer 2017 in Tangier, Morocco, living with a host family and attending Arabic language immersion classes. She described Morocco as a culturally rich country with Berber, European, African and Arab influences.
“It was just an amazing educational experience because I was surrounded by elite scholars who were really invested in this particular subject matter. And we just pushed each other,” she said. “The coolest thing about that program is you can't speak English. So, I was a beginner in Arabic, but I learned so much throughout the course of that summer because I was just fumbling around. It was such a challenge, emotionally and intellectually.”
In contrast, she described her time in Jordan in 2018 as a much more authentic cultural experience.
“Jordan was definitely different in a lot of ways because it felt more real. While the Critical Language Scholarship program was a simulated learning environment and there were teachers and structure, the Boren Scholarship experience was much more flexible,” Haizlett said. “I learned one-on-one with a tutor while working on a farm and in a restaurant. I spent time with real people in their worlds. It was the pinnacle of my international experience – applied learning and experimental learning.”
After her time abroad, Haizlett knew she wanted to share her experiences with others – she just wasn’t sure how.
“After I came back from Jordan, I received so many questions from family and friends about what I did when I was abroad. I was basically off the grid for a year in this ‘scary’ place, and then I survived and came back but didn’t have a way to tell these stories. People seemed curious, and I felt an obligation to share the transformation I had experienced during these travels,” she explained. “It’s such a blessing and opportunity to be able to live in the Middle East, and I was so fortunate to have it paid for by my scholarships. I would have never been able to go and spend that much time studying and experiencing life there without those opportunities. I wanted to give back.”
She landed on the idea of a podcast so nearly anyone could access it. With funding from the WVU Honors College Excel Grant, she hosted and produced a 12-episode storytelling series called “ Sandstone.” Haizlett recently released a free curriculum based on the series so that students and educators can use the podcast for educational purposes.
“The most efficient way to tell a story is to make it virtual so that anyone can access it; K-12 students, adults, anyone can listen,” Haizlett said. “I had never done any podcasting or journalism before, but I found it really fulfilling and received great feedback from listeners. It was a challenging experience, but I’m so thankful I’ve been able to do it during college and had that support from my advisers and professors.”
What started out as a hobby ended up becoming a life-changing career path.
“Podcasting made me fall in love with journalism and completely shift gears with my long-term career plans, from refugee policy and law to storytelling. Shifting to journalism has given me the chance to share those cross-cultural stories in a language that each party understands,” Haizlett said. “So often, we make a story specifically for an audience, but it doesn’t reach that audience because we are telling it in the wrong language. My goal for cross-cultural dialogue is to translate different languages for different people so they understand and are able to meet people that they wouldn’t normally interact with.”
She continues to make those connections as a multimedia storyteller for PBS’s American Portrait.
“It is a national storytelling project where we highlight diverse stories from all over the country. I am the West Virginia representative,” Haizlett said. “In my stories, I try to highlight different subcultures in West Virginia that aren’t normally celebrated. It’s giving me the opportunity to branch out more, though I am still focused on diversity.”
Haizlett has also joined West Virginia Public Broadcasting as a member of the 2020 Inside Appalachia Folkways Corps. These stories reflect on tangible examples of life in Appalachia.
“These stories are a completely different branch of storytelling. One of my stories that I just released was about hide tanning in the region, for example,” Haizlett said. “This project has been an interesting way for me to reconnect with Appalachia. In the last several years, I spent so much time abroad appreciating other cultures and celebrating them. Then I came home, and I realized just how much my own culture has to offer – so much diversity and wealth. I wanted to dive into spending more time at home. Through this project, I’ve reconnected with people in West Virginia and with the culture I grew up in.”
While some students may have been intimidated by the sudden desire to change careers, Haizlett hasn’t missed a beat.
“It actually works out really well. Studying international relations really set me up for that because I have an understanding of global politics, of certain regions and different languages and cultures that really has allowed me to interact with different demographics when I share these stories,” Haizlett said. “My focus on storytelling and journalism really comes from a global perspective, I think, because I'm just really interested in how all these cultures connect.”
She believes that the ability to craft your own career reflects the spirit of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the flexibility an arts and sciences education offers.
“I would encourage prospective students to be creative with their college career. There is this narrative of the quintessential college experience – you live in a dorm room, go to football games, study a little, party a lot. But that’s not for everyone, and thankfully, there are so many opportunities to individualize your experience,” Haizlett said. “I spent nearly as much time abroad as I did on campus. I had an amazing experience. I was able to tap into all these different opportunities just by asking questions and being creative. Really take the reins of your own experience because it’s really enriching that way.”
In the face of the pandemic, navigating the freedom of college prepared her for a job search in this unprecedented environment.
“It’s such a blessing and opportunity to be able to live in the Middle East, and I was so fortunate to have it paid for by my scholarships.”
– Clara Haizlett
“Just having so much freedom in college pushed me to take full rein over my experiences, the career I wanted and the college experience that I wanted,” she said. “After graduation, it’s full freedom. It’s up to you to find your way. Having the experience of full control and flexibility to narrow down my opportunities gave me the ability during the pandemic to identify what I should be doing next and how to overcome the limitations it has presented. How can I be creative within the boundaries it has set? In these past few months, I’ve learned a lot and still continue to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible.”