Storm Lake Became Second Home for BVU Grad from Chicago
Dominique Daily, a Chicago native, says scholarships, travel opportunities, and professors at BVU put her education career in motion. She returns from Chicago to visit her alma mater each year.
The impact Storm Lake has on Buena Vista University alum Dominique Daily ’13 can be heard in a pair of statements, one reflecting a result; the other, a goal.
“My grandmother died a few years ago and one week after her death I went to Storm Lake to center myself,” says Daily, of Chicago. “Storm Lake brought me some peace and serenity.”
Storm Lake may one day be home again for Daily.
“I visit BVU and Storm Lake at least once every year,” says Daily, an educator in the Chicago Public Schools. “The community holds a special place in my heart. If I ever have enough money, I want to buy a home in Storm Lake, which will allow me more frequent visits.”
“The professors, the staff, and the students I met at BVU and in Storm Lake pushed me, shaped me, and helped me become a better person. I established a better sense of self during my four years in Storm Lake.”
Dominique Daily '13
Dominique Daily knew nothing about BVU or Storm Lake as a senior in high school. That changed when a counselor from BVU Admissions visited her high school. One month after her high school graduation, Daily’s aunt suggested her niece look at BVU.
“We put BVU in my GPS and noticed it was eight hours from home,” Daily says with a laugh. “No way did I want to go to BVU.”
Her aunt persisted. So, Daily drove west. She was soon drawn to the BVU’s lakeshore campus, its people, and a host of scholarship gifts and opportunities.
“BVU offered me more scholarships than other colleges,” she remembers. “Every student had a laptop, something I’d never had before. There were perks involving travel opportunities, work, and the fact I’d get to know my professors and have experiences with them.”
During her time as a BVU student, Daily traveled with faculty, staff, and peers to work with homeless persons in Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. She spent one month working at the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in New York City. She completed an internship serving children at The Bridge in Storm Lake.
“When I was a student, we brought BVU students from Rwanda home with us to Chicago for Thanksgiving,” Daily says. “I also invited students from my high school to come to Storm Lake to experience BVU.”
Following her graduation in 2013, Daily earned a position with the Chicago Public Schools where she now serves as a Youth Intervention Specialist. She earned a master’s in education from the University of Illinois-Chicago and plans to pursue her doctorate in education.
Daily, who spoke this fall to BVU students, faculty, and staff during the University’s Diversity Week celebration, remains thankful for her time as a Beaver, a time in which she participated with the African-American Student Union, Student Activities Board, Women of Color, and more.
“Coming to Storm Lake was a sacrifice of going into the unknown,” she says. “The professors, the staff, and the students I met at BVU and in Storm Lake pushed me, shaped me, and helped me become a better person. I established a better sense of self during my four years in Storm Lake.”
To re-establish that sense, this BVU graduate often returns.
“When I need stillness in my life, Storm Lake is home,” she says.