Born and raised in Virginia, Epsivah (Epi) made quite the change when she decided to go to Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais, IL. Leaving her two younger siblings and her parents, Epi was left with no choice but to start filling her life inside the gates of ONU.
With the thought that their daughter would one day join the ministry of the Nazarene Church as they had, Epi’s parents were surprised when she made the decision to major in Multimedia Communication. With her parents’ full support, Epi confidently stepped into her new major and added a minor in Photography. These skills have served Epi well in her many involvements over the two years she has spent at ONU.
As a student radio announcer with Spark, an affiliate of Shine.FM, Epi has the opportunity to perfect her skills in this role before heading into the workforce. She also serves as a student worker for Shine.FM, constantly learning and helping with any needs the radio station may have.
In addition to working at a radio station, Epi also works for Media Services at Olivet. Here, she works with fellow communication student, Hunter Overholt. In this job, they spend time editing projects, putting in work orders, doing camerawork for sporting events, events on campus, chapel, etc., and more.
When asked to describe Epi’s work ethic, Overholt said, “When Epi puts her mind to something, she can produce some of the best work and content you’ll see from a student, whether that be her video work, audio, editing, anything. ” He added, “Epi is one of the most blunt, truthful, and serious people you’ll meet. If you ask her opinion on something, she’ll tell you the truth — and her opinion is usually right.”
Not only does Epi work for Spark, Shine.FM, and Media Services; she also makes the time to lead worship at Life Compass Church, be a Resident Assistant at ONU, and she has a podcast.
Epi co-hosts a podcast called Perfectly Not Normal alongside Mikayla Browne and producer Shemara Fontes, communication students at ONU. According to Epi, “Perfectly Not Normal is a storytelling podcast hosted by me and my friend Mikayla. We bring different guests to the studio and have them tell us their story and create a conversation out of it. It’s found on all podcast platforms and a new episode comes out every Friday.” Epi and Mikayla actually hosted Hunter on their podcast. Click below to listen!
So, with all of these experiences and around 8 film projects under her belt, where does Epi see herself in the future? After spending her required semester in Los Angeles for school, Epi hopes to find herself working in Atlanta, Georgia – home to the second largest hub for film. And why Atlanta?
Epi said, ” LA is a very competitive and cut throat place, with a lot of the same people going after the same thing. I like the south, and a lot of really great movies (Marvel movies, etc.) have been produced in Atlanta. It’s still a good place to work for the film industry, and gives me the ability to live in an area I’d like to be while working my way to the top.”
Epi’s statement about why she’d choose to live in Atlanta while “working her way to the top” is the very reason why her fellow Media Services worker and friend (Overholt) praised her drive.
Overholt said, “Epi is one of the most determined people I know. She’s really into filming, so she always carries a film camera with her so she can learn new tips and techniques to accomplish what she wants to do.”
He added, “She’s always trying to better herself and her work.”
For more information about Life Compass Church, click here.
For more information about Media Services at Olivet, click here.
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