Senior Brooklyn Holley has found the perfect trifecta in her college journey — a biology major and an individualized Spanish minor, the chance to play collegiate soccer and close relationships with her professors and peers. The combination is allowing Brooklyn to pursue her personal and professional passions, while preparing for a successful future and having fun.
“I am from DeWitt, about 40 minutes north of Olivet,” Brooklyn explained. “I chose Olivet because of the family-like community and how you can build personal relationships with professors instead of being just a number. The reason I first looked into going to Olivet was because of soccer, and I am a goalkeeper at OC now. Joining the team was how I gained my first friends at Olivet, who I know are also going to be life-long friends.”
In addition to soccer, Brooklyn is involved with a number of other clubs and organizations at The University of Olivet, helping her gain leadership experience as well.
“I am the current president and co-founder of Alpha Pi Upsilon (APU), the medical honor society,” Brooklyn said. “We started APU because we wanted to bring together students that were interested in the medical field, so we could understand and navigate the steps to applying and getting into medical school together. Also, we wanted to volunteer together and listen to presentations from different people who have careers in the medical field.”
In addition, I am currently the president and have been the vice president for the previous two years of the Student Government Association (SGA). I joined SGA my first year because I wanted to make a difference on campus and be a voice for the students. SGA has been a great experience to make a change and see a difference that students can make on campus.
“Further, I am a member of the Gruen Chemistry Society. I first joined because I wanted to attend Battle of the Chem Clubs. Being a part of Gruen, you get to attend monthly socials where you network with other students that are interested in chemistry. And lastly, I am a part of Sigma Zeta, a national honor society for mathematics, science and computer science majors. I joined because it is a club different from all my other clubs, in the sense that I can connect with students involved in and majoring in math. This is a cool experience because you get to meet people you normally would not.”
Brooklyn is focusing her biology studies on a premedical concentration, and her extracurricular involvement is helping her build a strong resume for medical school.
“I am majoring in biology with a premed concentration,” Brooklyn explained. “I chose this because ever since I was little, I wanted to be a doctor to help people who were in need. My goals for the future are to attend and graduate from medical school and to volunteer with Doctors Without Borders so I can help those in need. To prepare myself for the future, I became involved in many different clubs on campus. I also did research on the required and highly recommended classes for a few medical schools that I would like to apply for so that I could plan to allow to fit the majority of them in my schedule before I graduate.”
Brooklyn has also created a unique Spanish minor to fit her needs. She’s taken advantage of many travel opportunities to enhance her skills, explore different cultures and serve others.
“I have been extremely fortunate and have had two travel experiences. My first was to Costa Rica during winter break of my first year,” Brooklyn said. “While I was there, I was able to learn about the different culture and plants, practice my Spanish and volunteer at a local school. My experience while volunteering at the school was very eye-opening. I was able to see the conditions that the school was in and learn about the variety of ages that would be in one small building with minimal teachers. In May of 2019, I was able to travel to Puerto Rico and volunteer with All Hands and Hearts for a week. This experience was life-changing as we spent the week working on roofs and removing mold from houses from the hurricane that happened a year prior. Learning about how the organization was running out of funding to help others in need was very saddening because many people are unaware that they are still recovering from the natural disaster.”
In addition to her experiences with The University of Olivet, Brooklyn also spent a summer volunteering in clinics and hospitals in Peru.
“To advance my knowledge in both the health field and Spanish speaking skills, I traveled to Peru in the summer of 2019,” Brooklyn added. “While I was there, I volunteered in clinics and hospitals in the city of Machu Picchu. I was able to have a more hands-on experience helping patients, including checking blood pressure and giving IVs. I was also able to help with translating information between the doctor and patient. The doctors only spoke Spanish, and a majority of the patients only spoke English, so I was able to communicate with both. This was especially important when it came to the medications that were given.”
As Brooklyn enters her senior year, she is proud to have a full resume and wide network. She is eager to keep growing both and confident in her future.
“My experiences as a Comet have made me who I am today by giving me opportunities that I would not get otherwise, such as being a leader and president of SGA and APU, traveling and volunteering in different countries and building relationships with professors so they could give me advice for my future,” Brooklyn said.
Learn more about The University of Olivet by contacting the Office of Admissions at 800-456-7189 or admissions@uolivet.edu.