College wasn’t really on Gabriel Ashbach’s radar. After finishing high school, he went into a trade. Instead of textbooks and 9 a.m. classes, he was fixing ventilation systems.
But something wasn’t quite sitting right, and Ashbach knew HVAC wasn’t in his long-term plans. He knew he didn’t want to be tied down to just one thing.
Without having a clear path in mind, he decided to give college a shot. He enrolled at Indiana University Northwest and started exploring. Today, Ashbach is a highly engaged incoming senior working toward a degree in digital media and storytelling.
However, there’s something a bit different about Ashbach’s college career. His major is offered entirely online, so he has no in-person classes. Yet, he’s on the IU Northwest campus every day as one of its most involved students.
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“Being an online student and still being on campus is such a great opportunity to be involved,” he said. “I always say my calendar is completely open because I have full flexibility to do my classwork when I’m free.”
Despite having no regular in-person classes, Ashbach’s calendar certainly isn’t empty. Quite the opposite. He participates in multiple student organizations and serves as president of the Student Government Association (SGA).
Ashbach has also been involved in RedHawk Media, worked a campus job and attended biology club meetings, even though it’s outside his major. In the spring, he’s set to direct a theatre production.
“You have so many opportunities because we’re such a small campus,” Ashbach said. “At a big university, there’s no way I’d be chosen to be the director of a theater show. That’s just another example of why IU Northwest is so great.”
Regardless of having online classes, Ashbach was willing to try new things and find a place for himself at IU Northwest. Now, as SGA president, he wants to help other students do the same.
“It took somebody reaching out to get me involved, so, as a student government, we’re trying to be that helping hand to all students,” he said.
Showing up to just one club meeting might be all it takes.
“You meet a bunch of people, then you start joining their clubs, too. It just explodes into a million different connections,” Ashbach said. “That’s what college is really about.”
As Ashbach enters his senior year and continues his term as president, he’s already looking to the future. He originally chose his digital media and storytelling major because it’s such a broad field, and he’s excited to explore his options going forward.
“I’m thinking about journalism, but I also really want to write novels and do anything I can acting-wise,” he said. “I’ve also been thinking about running for local office and trying to make a difference.”
For Ashbach, taking online classes has never meant holing up at home and staying behind a screen. He’s been able to make connections, build academic skills and explore a world of possibilities, all while keeping a flexible schedule and working a job.
The SGA president encourages his fellow online students to do the same.
“Go to an event. Go to the Student Success Center. Go to the Moraine Student Center, whatever it may be,” Ashbach said. “Get out there, and I promise there’s going to be a bunch of smiling faces here to greet you.”
