Alumni Features

The University of Olivet is proud to announce Dr. Stephen Burton ’68 as the 2025 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Each year, this honor is presented to an alum who has exemplified the University’s values through professional achievement, leadership, and service to others. Dr. Burton and other honorees will be celebrated during the annual Homecoming Distinguished…

Opening Reception Sept. 27 From expressive oil paintings and mixed media abstractions to leaded glass inspired by dogs and music, the 2025 Alumni Art Exhibition at The University of Olivet brings together three creative voices with decades of stories to tell. Opening Sept. 18 in the Kresge Foundation Art Gallery, the exhibit showcases the work…

The University of Olivet is proud to recognize Nathaniel VanStee ’18 as this year’s Distinguished Young Alumnus, an honor that will be presented during the annual Homecoming Distinguished Alumni Awards & Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner on Sept. 26. Since graduating with a degree in actuarial science, Nathaniel has built a career dedicated to helping…

The University of Olivet takes great pride in the success of our alumni. As such, we honor a number of outstanding alumni as part of our Alumni Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame event held during Homecoming Weekend every year. The selections are made from candidates who have distinguished themselves through their professional and/or athletic…

Melody Betts '04  Wows Gospel Choir Students and Others with Performance in The Wiz This feature was written by December 2023 graduate Caleb Arthur.  The University of Olivet Gospel Choir, an elite singing group, traveled to Chicago to see The Wiz on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The Gospel Choir attended the play at the Cadillac Palace…

For the Mitchell family at The University of Olivet, it’s very much a family affair. In May 2023, dad Russ and daughters Hannah and Mary walked across the stage at Commencement to receive their bachelor’s degrees. Daughter Emily will return in the fall as a junior. Having three sisters and their father attending the same…

Young adult life is weird. You graduate high school and are expected to know what to do with your life. There are many big decisions to make and many possibilities to consider. How is a kid supposed to do it? The pressure can be daunting for the young person ready to launch into adulthood. And…

I honestly didn’t know how important The University of Olivet was to me until last week. I finally realized I was done being a student at Olivet, and I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad because, over these past four years, I have made a ton of connections with my peers. Not…

The University of Olivet is about finding innovative ways to meet the career aspirations of its students. One unique program is the Teaching Pathway, which offers students interested in teaching an alternate route to teacher certification. The Teaching Pathway experience can be combined with any of Olivet’s majors. Students learn the fundamentals of best practices…

Bruce Baker may have graduated in 2018, but his time in Olivet is not over. Today, you can find Bruce running around town—literally—with the Olivet High School cross country and track and field teams that he helps coach. Bruce is also the youth pastor of a local church, and there he lives out his primary…

Recent graduate Jax Keene, from Swartz Creek, Michigan, had a college experience unlike any other. Jax, who majored in exercise science, became an adjunct professor at The University of Olivet during her junior and senior years. During the spring of her first year in 2019, Jax found herself in the office of her Health and…

Health and Human Performances (HHP) major and Donald A. Morris top graduate, Kiley Schneck, has been passionate about exercise science for over a decade. Before she was even in high school, Kiley knew what her calling was, and The University of Olivet was the place that helped her achieve her dream. From Rochester Hills, Michigan,…

The University of Olivet is committed to quality education that fits the needs and lifestyles of its students. One program that does this particularly well is the RN-BSN pathway, designed for working professionals. The program was created for individuals who have earned an associate degree in nursing and wish to pursue a bachelor's degree.   Erica…

The University of Olivet is known for being accommodating. It is a place where students of diverse backgrounds feel welcome, included and valued. Todd Seipenko learned that this is true for our non-traditional students as well. After 25 years in law enforcement, he decided it was time to go back to school and earn his bachelor’s…

Reiker Dean ’20 is a graduate student at Ohio University on a full-ride scholarship. He is currently in his second year of a three-year program working toward a Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing. He also currently works for the university by instructing undergraduate classes, and in the fall of this year, he…

Christian Washington ’21 is currently enrolled in the 109th Mid-Michigan Police Academy as a sponsored recruit at Lansing Community College and is on track to graduate on May 6, 2022. After completing the program, Christian plans to be officially sworn in to the Lansing Police Department and to start the field training process for officers.…

Kate Strein ’08 serves as an eighth grade English Language Arts teacher at Jupiter Middle School in southern Florida, but her true passion is taking education beyond the classroom. Kate was chosen as a Fulbright Scholar for the Teachers of Global Classrooms program in 2019. While the COVID-19 pandemic delayed some of Kate’s plans, this…

Dr. Tim Hodge, a 1983 The University of Olivet graduate, was appointed chair of the The University of Olivet Board of Trustees on Oct. 15, 2021. Hodge is a distinguished emergency medicine physician and U.S. Navy veteran whose commitment to The University of Olivet has remained strong. He has served as a member of the…

Chelsea Goodman ‘14 majored in biology at The University of Olivet while preparing to enter medical school after graduation. Thanks to strong relationships with professors, time management skills, leadership opportunities and a great educational foundation, Chelsea has found success in graduate school and beyond. “I always knew that I wanted to further my education in…

Emma Essen ’19 certainly spent her fair share of time crunching numbers as a double major in actuarial science and mathematics with a minor in computer science, but solving the equation of time management was her true focus. Since graduating, she’s started a career as data analyst and is also a part-time graduate student. Thanks…