WESTWOOD—Haley Andresen says she believes if there is one sign language phrase everyone needs to learn, it should be, “Nice to meet you.”
She is one of a set of triplets, joined by her brother and sister. Born and raised in Westwood, she and her brother, like her mother, were born with hearing loss and are legally deaf, speaking sign language at home.
“My parents always instilled in me the importance of helping others,” she said in an Arizona State University profile shared with Pascack Press.
“Growing up, I volunteered for different things such as fostering dogs for a pet rescue and riding on my town’s ambulance corps,” she said.
Andresen knew she wanted to pursue a degree in psychology. Initially committed to attending an in-state college, the Starbucks College Achievement Plan offered the Starbucks partner an opportunity to earn her undergraduate degree through ASU Online.
The Bachelor of Science in counseling and applied psychological science turned out to be a perfect fit for her.
“I felt so grateful for the opportunity Starbucks gave me,” she said. “When I started at Arizona State University, I instantly loved how inclusive ASU Online is and how they are always celebrating everyone from all backgrounds and stages of life.”
Andresen’s focus on community continued to thrive during her time at the university. In addition to joining the Sun Devils Connect and the Starbucks College Achievement Plan Partners groups on Facebook, she was also part of the disability network at Starbucks.
“I am starting a Deaf Coffee Chat that will happen this summer to invite people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or want to learn, to have a place to connect,” she said. “I want to educate people about deaf culture, and Starbucks has given me that platform to embrace that.”
Starbucks provided other opportunities, as well. Andresen was honored to win Partner of the Quarter twice and Partner of the District. Moving from a low-volume store to a higher-volume store gave her the opportunity to flex her leadership and communication skills.
She’s a shift supervisor at a Starbucks Reserve, notable for offering extra brewing methods and an expanded selection of premium coffees in addition to the usual Starbucks menu.
“I was up for the challenge and I learned how much I love leading a team,” she said. “I learned to be calm and thrive under pressure when a million things are happening all at once. I always try to make the environment positive and stay calm, because that transfers to the other baristas. Also, working at my store can get very loud and hard to hear at times with my hearing loss. I have learned to embrace my hearing loss by being more open.”
Andresen shared her ASU Online journey as a transfer student and as a student with an invisible disability. “I was very interested in psychology and how the mind worked, but I always felt this major was very broad. When I saw ASU offered counseling as a major online, and I read the description, it felt like an aha moment about what I wanted to pursue and what I was passionate about. This degree focuses on psychological well-being, and I am passionate about mental health and how it is so important to receive counseling. This major also focuses on improving people’s well-being, which is something I have wanted to pursue since I was young, and this major is a stepping stone to learning the skills I need to help those around me.”
Her plans include “gaining experience in different cultures by traveling to new parts of the world and being part of a volunteer group. Next year, in the fall, I plan on pursuing a master’s in counseling to further my education. I’m really interested in the field of counseling, and I have been able to gain a lot of insight from current master’s and graduate counseling students.”