Olivet Nazarene University is uniquely situated in the middle of three small cities. As a student, you might move to a Bourbonnais address, but you’ll find it very difficult to avoid encountering the great things Bradley and Kankakee have to offer too. With very little effort, you’ll also experience beauty found in Herscher, Limestone, St. Anne, Aroma Park, Manteno, Peotone, Momence, Grant Park, Beecher and beyond.
In contrast to other similar-sized universities that are either smooshed into a large city or inconveniently located 30 minutes from the nearest superstore, the neighborhood in which Olivet is located is large and diverse enough to appeal to city dwellers and manageable and charming enough to not overwhelm small-town folk. There are a plethora of nonprofit organizations, churches, park districts, commercial ventures, restaurants, athletic complexes and health care organizations, plus plenty of big-box superstores to choose from. But access to all of those things isn’t necessarily what makes this neighborhood so great.
For my entire life (minus the one year I spent in Paris for a master’s program), I’ve lived in the tri-city area. I grew up in Kankakee, attended college at Olivet in Bourbonnais and then, following my master’s program, moved back to the area and have lived in Bradley for the past nine years. I used to begrudge the fact that I not only still live in my hometown area, but I’ve also been “stuck” in my college town. Fortunately, I’ve come to really respect and appreciate this neighborhood in which I get to live and work.
My expert opinions about the Olivet neighborhood come from having a multitude of connections with the University throughout my life. To start, I’m a third-generation alumnus. After my parents (Steve ’82 and Constance ’81/’87 M.A./’13 M.A.) graduated, they got married, found jobs and established roots in Kankakee County. When my grandpa (Charles Beatty ’58) retired, he and my grandma moved back to this area to be close to family and because they knew that the health care, assisted living and eventual long-term care options in this area were exceptional. They would all tell you that while this area may not be the absolute most interesting place to live, it’s stable, safe and full of opportunity.
Despite my family’s high opinions of the neighborhood, to be completely honest, I didn’t want to attend Olivet. Perhaps I shouldn’t include that detail in a marketing piece on behalf of the University, but I think there is value in admitting that I wasn’t born a raving fan. It wasn’t that I thought Olivet was a bad school — there was nothing wrong with it — I just wasn’t convinced it was the right fit for me. From my naive perspective, the community was too familiar, the neighborhoods too boring. I thought I knew everyone, had gone everywhere. I was, of course, very wrong.
I wasn’t forced to enroll at Olivet, but I was encouraged to at least apply. When I moved into room 415 of Williams Hall on a very humid morning in August 2009, I was unenthusiastic about my circumstances. But, fortunately, within 24 hours, my attitude had changed significantly. In my four years as a student, I served as a resident assistant, played violin in the University Orchestra, double-majored in international business and political science, worked at Benner Library, managed Ludwig Information Desk, played intramural volleyball, choreographed for Ollies Follies and conducted research in the University Honors Program. Those are just the things that made up my life at Olivet. Off campus, I taught dance at a Christian dance studio with other Olivet alumni, volunteered to teach 2-year-olds at church and did some marketing projects for the Salvation Army.
I could write a book about my experiences as a student. They weren’t always good, but they were overwhelmingly good for me and my academic, emotional, mental and spiritual development. I was supported by classmates, faculty, staff and administrators to succeed not just on campus but also as I planned and prepared to start my career.
As an Olivet employee for nearly a decade, I’ve worked in the offices of Admissions, Alumni and University Relations, and Marketing. I’ve also taught as an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication and Digital Media for five years. In short, I’ve seen the professional sides of Olivet from both the staff and faculty perspectives.
It has been my job (and privilege) as a staff writer to highlight the excellent pursuits of current students and our illustrious alumni. In the past 24 issues of Olivet The Magazine, I’ve had the pleasure of conducting interviews with and sharing the stories of hundreds of students, families, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and friends of the University. So, if my own lived-in experience isn’t enough of a testament to how wonderful Olivet and the surrounding communities are, at least allow that it’s unlikely so many people would continue to speak of the institution’s positive and long-lasting influences on their lives.
But, beyond my wealth of experiences as a student and employee, my life doesn’t actually revolve around the University. Olivet is an institution, and I’m an individual just living my life in Kankakee County. However, wherever I go in this area, I seem to interact with other Olivet connections who are using their exceptional talents to contribute in their own neighborhoods.
Just a few examples of this:
I can’t sit at any of our great local coffee shops (or go grocery shopping) without running into at least five Olivetians whom I personally know. In one afternoon outing, I might chat with Lauren Glenn ’09 M.A., head women’s basketball coach; Amber (Leffel) ’14 and Luke Olney ’10/’12 MOL, worship leaders at College Church and the vocal directors of a community theatre production of Godspell this summer; Sonya (Yates) Comer ’95, piano professor at Olivet and co-owner of the local FASTSIGNS franchise; Jeff Williamson ’84, marketing professor and owner of Converge Group coaching and consulting; Jennifer (Hasselbring) Shride ’91, Zumba instructor and volunteer extraordinaire; and Melissa (Leatherman) Hyma ’03, physical therapist at River Valley Physical Therapy.
If I want a bit of an adventure, I can drive through beautiful farmland to get a fresh-baked pastry from Tiffany (Dietrich) DeRocco ’12 at her coffee shop, The Mill, in St. Anne. Or, if I want to stay closer to home, I can easily walk down the street from my office to Connect Roasters, which has hosted two of my solo art shows. The owner, Caleb Benoit ’06, and half of his staff are alumni or current students. The local Chick-fil-A is owned by the Klavohn family, and I would be surprised if there aren’t Olivet students employed by every other food service establishment around town.
Every time I turn on my car, the uplifting music of Shine.FM plays over the radio. On midday commercial breaks, the voice of the host is one of my former communication students, Abby Bennett ’23, who transitions the music with an encouraging word. Regular spots on Shine.FM highlight a local church of the week, reminding me how special it is to live in a community that supports and is supported by a vast network of believers. An extraordinary number of local pastors and staff attended Olivet. Just at my home church, GatheringPoint, almost the entire staff either attended Olivet or are parents of University alumni.
Even the yoga studio I teach at is owned by an Olivet alumna. Although she didn’t complete her degree here, Emily (Throop) Subach credits Olivet professors with helping her navigate a particularly difficult season of life with grace and kindness. As I check students in, I greet current Olivet staff members, parents of prospective students and some of my former classmates. We’re all there to practice yoga, but there are common values woven into our conversations, our attitudes and our interactions that I attribute to the Olivet ethos by which we’ve been influenced.
I don’t have space to write the name of every Olivetian I know in this area because, in general, the local school systems, health care institutions and emergency service departments are staffed disproportionately high with gifted Olivet alumni. These teachers, principals, nurses, administrative support staff, EMTs, managing directors, doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, police officers, firefighters, etc., work tirelessly to educate, treat, protect and support our community. Beyond that, hundreds of Olivet graduates work for multinational companies that have a large presence in the area, including CSL, Peddinghaus, Nucor, Federal Signal and FutureCeuticals. Multiple franchises and small businesses are also owned, operated and/or managed by Olivet alumni.
In my many years of working for the marketing team, the theme that comes up the most about what people remember about Olivet is community. To be sure, alumni frequently mention professors, staff and classmates who had an impact on their lives — but just as often, they mention things like an off-campus business that employed them, a church that accepted them, an internship that stretched them or a local family that hosted them for home-cooked meals.
You probably get the picture by now: I’m a strong advocate for this neighborhood and its amazing residents. If I expanded the neighborhood perimeter to include surrounding counties, the results would really be overwhelming. On more than one occasion, I’ve run into an Olivet connection while visiting Chicago for the day, or I’ve spotted someone wearing an Olivet hoodie as I rushed through O’Hare International Airport. In northern Illinois, it’s rather hard to avoid connecting with at least some of the vast network of Olivet’s nearly 9,800 alumni who live in greater Chicagoland.
We probably don’t say it enough as an institution, but Olivet needs this community, and I know we’re forever grateful for the support of individuals, businesses, churches, nonprofits and governmental institutions that have continued to partner with us in creating a beautiful place to live and work. The neighborhood in which Olivet exists is full of life and opportunity for everyone — permanent and temporary residents included. And whether the community realizes it or not, the lasting impact of Olivet is pervasive and impactful.
In this neighborhood, we’re better together.
Read the entire “Doing Something Good Together” issue here.
