Alumni Awards

Olivet Nazarene University is pleased to honor alumni who exhibit the characteristics and ideals of their alma mater.

Addison Newell, 2015 Alum, speaks at homecoming chapel

“O” Awards

Since 1957, the Olivet Alumni Association has recognized outstanding alumni through the presentation of the “O” Awards at the annual fall Homecoming Celebration.

One ministerial and one lay person have been chosen from nominations submitted to the Alumni Board. Qualified individuals represent the ideals of the University and have distinguished themselves in their professional fields.

Raechel Myers headshot

Raechel (Pennington) Myers ’05

As the founder and COO of She Reads Truth, Raechel Myers loves God’s Word. She and her team work together to build this brand that creates beautiful, accessible Bible reading plans and resources to help women read God’s Word every day. Raechel is also a co-host of the She Reads Truth podcast, and is a general editor of the She Reads Truth Bible and He Reads Truth Bible.

Raechel holds a bachelor’s degree in housing and environmental design from ONU. A lover of travel and good food, she is happiest at home just south of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband Ryan — also a ONU graduate — and their two children.

Angel Colón speaking at podium

Angel Colón ’90

Angel Colón arrived at ONU with one suitcase, one baseball bag and an English-Spanish dictionary in 1986. He graduated in 1990 with a degree in Business Administration and a solid faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He received his MBA from Cardinal Stritch University and holds a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certification from Cornell University. Today, Angel is the head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Designer Brands in Columbus, Ohio. To honor his commitment to serving others, Angel also helps teach English as a Second Language to immigrants in Cincinnati. He and his wife, Naomi, who holds two nursing degrees from ONU, are the parents of three adult children.

Inspired by his hero, outstanding Major League Baseball player Roberto Clemente, Angel has established a ONU baseball scholarship for Puerto Rican students.

“Students, teammates and ONU leaders loved and cared for me as I learned to adjust to a new culture. Being a student at ONU radically transformed my life. ONU gave me the foundation and tools I needed to succeed personally and professionally.”

Young Alumni Award

In 2011, the Young Alumni Award was established, honoring two alumni — one male and one female — to be presented at the annual fall Homecoming Celebration. Recipients are chosen by vote of the Alumni Board, and must have graduated from Olivet within the last 10 years. This award is made possible through a generous gift from Mel ’73 and Judi (Tucker) ’71 Sayes.

Watch the 2022 Award Presentation

Anna Victorson 2022 Headshot

Anna (Grieder) Victorson ’14

Anna Victorson didn’t plan to work in any career even resembling vocational ministry. Then, God revealed a new plan to her.

Growing up on a farm outside of Normal, Illinois, Anna couldn’t have imagined herself living outside of Illinois. After graduating from ONU, she was an account manager with the American Red Cross in Bourbonnais. In 2016, she became a visual merchandiser and later an apparel department manager with Anthropologie® in Fort Worth, Texas. Then in 2018, she joined Go and Tell Gals, a Christian business and ministry, where she coaches women in following their God-given callings.

“I didn’t plan to work in anything that resembled vocational ministry. My degree is in marketing, and I always saw myself joining corporate America and building my career there. God had other plans for me. Because of my time at ONU, I was open to where God was leading me.”

Calum Samuelson Headshot

Calum Samuelson ’13/’15 M.A.

Since graduating from Olivet Nazarene University in 2013, Rev. Calum Samuelson has published and presented his work in more than a dozen countries. For the past two years, he has lived in Kenya with his wife, Andrea (also an ONU grad), and son, where he has taught theology and worked with various churches and organizations throughout East Africa as a researcher and ordained minister in the Free Methodist Church.

He has earned a Master of Arts degree from ONU’s Christian Thought program plus a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England.

“ONU helped expose me to thousands of different Christians in America, Africa and throughout history. I began learning how to cherish the ways that God is at work in diverse Christian traditions. Ways beyond my own comprehension.”

students in lecture ONU

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