DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – Last week, the Devils Lake Journal welcomed a new face as Isaac Vaagen joins our staff as a news intern for the summer, financed through a grant from the North Dakota Newspaper Association.
Vaagen, age 19, was born and raised here in Devils Lake. He graduated from Devils Lake High School in 2025 and is currently attending Minot State University, with a major in multimedia communications and will be entering his sophomore year this fall. The new intern is interested in learning more about journalism, video production, and graphic design.
In high school and during his freshman year at MSU, Vaagen took various classes tailored to his interests, such as art, drawing, graphic design, and video production. He said that he has been a creative individual for much of his life. It was while attending St. Joseph Catholic School, that he created the school newspaper The Saint Bugle. Young Isaac and other students would write stories for the Bugle, in which he would use Microsoft Word to format and design the layout for the paper. He even created a comic strip, “Harry the Holy Kid,” which followed the teachings and misadventures of a very religious kid named Harry.
Vaagen has utilized various outlets to explore his creativity, such as drawing, writing stories, and building things with Legos. In his spare time, Isaac enjoys watching television, especially sports (his favorites are football and basketball). He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and he often does physical activities such as running and bicycling. During most summers, Isaac and his family often take an annual vacation across the Northwest to places in states like Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
He is the son of Jeffrey and Leatha Vaagen. Jeffrey serves as a doctor at the clinic for the Spirit Lake Nation and is a deacon at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Leatha is a physical therapist at 583 Therapy. He has two older siblings, Jacob and Hannah, and a younger sister named Rachel. Jacob graduated from North Dakota State University last year, while Hannah graduated from University of Mary this spring. Rachel will be entering her senior year at Devils Lake High School this fall.
While working at the Journal for the summer, Vaagen will be helping the reporting staff with research, and in covering various news beats, events and games. If you see him around town, please welcome him to our newspaper.
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