Contributed by the Alden Advance

As you&8217;re traveling on the major highways and interstate roads, you often see the many billboards and advertisements focusing on promoting a large variety of businesses and organizations. But, if you happen to be traveling in the western Iowa or eastern Nebraska area and see a sign that has a picture of a familiar face smiling down at you, then you&8217;ll know you&8217;re looking at the national promotional campaign being conducted by Buena Vista College (BV) of Storm Lake, Iowa.

That familiar face you just saw was 2006 Alden-Conger graduate Greg Opseth. Opseth chose to attend BV following high school and has been an active part of the college campus since that time. Buena Vista College is a four-year comprehensive institution that focuses on learning with innovative and imaginative programs geared toward students. The current promotional campaign for BV is a branding initiative that will focus on making potential students more aware of what the college is all about and what it has to offer. The campaign also includes airport signs and radio advertisements targeted at parents, high school counselors and coaches, which the college hopes will increase its visibility.

&8220;I got an e-mail from the college staff asking me to be a part of a marketing campaign for the college,&8221; Opseth said. &8220;They set up a photo shoot for me and other students and told us they weren&8217;t sure whose pictures would be used for the campaign, so I didn&8217;t really know if they would use my picture or not.&8221;

But then he started getting phone calls from people telling him about large billboards near the metro areas of Fort Dodge, Sioux City and Des Moines, Iowa, and even around the Omaha, Neb., area. The students were selected by BV faculty members, based on their academic standing, participation in college and community activities, and their overall leadership skills, which speaks highly for Opseth.

Several local people said they think the college couldn&8217;t have selected a better representative and role model. An all-round athlete (including running track at United South Central High School in Wells) and mentor at the Alden-Conger School during his high school years, Opseth utilized a good portion of his time working with younger students at school and as a Sunday school teacher at the local church.

He spends much of his summer working several jobs to earn money for college, but also continues to spend time with area youths in the community.

One of his recent jobs included helping care for residents at a local nursing home.

At college, Greg participates in many on-campus organizations, including a special program called Alternative Week of Offsite Learning (AWOL) which gives students a chance to do something different and more fulfilling on their annual spring break.

They can choose to join this group and help underprivileged children by traveling to other countries and helping their communities.

Last spring, AWOL went to Costa Rican jungle to help paint their school classrooms, construct a soccer field and clean the beaches for a healthier environment.

Funds for this special program come from generous patrons and alumni of BV, who know the importance of community service and helping others. With Opseth being the vice president of this organization, plans are already in progress for the next spring break session and decisions are being made on where they will go and who they will help next.

He also takes part in BV Buddies, which mentors school-age children in the Storm Lake area, Voices of Praise Gospel choir, Spanish Club, Fellowship of Christian Beavers (FCB) which is the campus ministry organization, Praise Band for chapel services, and he holds an appointed position in Esprit De Corps which is a campus group that welcomes prospective students, staff and visiting faculty with tours and question-answer sessions, giving them more information about the goals of the university and the many options available at BV.

Opseth begins his sophomore year at BV this fall and continues to pursue his major in psychology with a minor in sociology and Spanish.

He plans to eventually earn his master&8217;s degree and Ph.D. in child psychology with plans to become a counselor.

His family includes his parents, Kevin and Sheri Opseth of Alden; younger brother Dan who will be a junior at A-C; and Jenny Bloomingdale of Alden, special friend of his older brother, Chris, who passed away this past year.