Often times there are many students that come and go through the doors of their classes. However, not many can have their name spoken, and every student and professor instantly know who they are. One of these students at Olivet is Sam Durnil.
Sam Durnil is a senior at Olivet, majoring in public relations and corporate communications with a minor in theatre. To say the least, Sam is one of those students where the mood changes when he enters a room. His unique charisma is a great quality that he has. The road for Sam to come to Olivet started out in Indiana.
“I grew up in a small town in south central Indiana. I’ve got 6 siblings, all raised in a Christian home and homeschooled until college,” said Durnil. “Sports were certainly a relevant topic in the house, particularly basketball and football, and participating in those were key in finding and developing friendships.”
As Sam prepared to take his next step by deciding where to go to college, he decided to go to Olivet after a visit to campus. Sam came to Olivet because of the friendly community from the student population during his visit.
“The community I witnessed on my first visit. I remember walking with my mom through campus, snowfall making our surroundings all look the same with no hope of us finding the comm department,” said Durnil. “And without even asking, a student walking by noticed our confusion and offered to walk us to the Comm department. His kindness and overall sense of a close community ended up being the biggest selling points for me.”
When Sam arrived at Olivet, he was able to pursue his major in public relations and corporate communications. It was always a desire for Sam to pursue since he was inspired by his father, who worked for the Indiana State Police.
“I’ve always enjoyed communicating with folks, so I knew I wanted to go into communications. What inspired my pursuit of PR was the influence of my dad; seeing him work as the Public Information Officer for the Indiana State Police showed me a template of what I could do in my life,” he said.
However, during his time at Olivet, Sam also discovered his newfound love for theatre as well. This new passion for theatre drove Sam to minor in theatre in the communication department. Despite having very little experience in performing, this does not frighten Sam at all. Instead, it motivates to go out and perform.
“The feeling I get in my stomach before going out on stage inspires my love for theatre. It’s been there since my first performance, and I hope it’ll be there on my last,” said Durnil. “There’s definitely no reason for me to like these “butterflies” in my stomach, but I can’t help it. It’s my way of knowing that the theatre will always have something exciting to offer the audience and myself.”
During his time at Olivet, people have gotten to know Sam through his likable personality. Whether that would be practicing for an upcoming musical or play with his fellow cast members, working with club members at ISA (Inspired Strategies Agency), or by working in groups for class projects. However, he takes his time to talk with others and get to know them as well.
“I think Sam’s desire to connect with others and be willing to help inspires me the most – He finds great value in his ability to be a resource to the people around him,” his roommate, Andrew McBurnie, said.
Despite this year being the last semester of school for Sam, he still works hard for what he wants to achieve here at Olivet, and for what he wants to do after he graduates. He will take the experience he has learned over the past four years with him for the rest of his life.
When asked what the past four years at Olivet has been for him, he said, “In one word, enlightening. In a few more words, I’ve learned so much during my time at Olivet; not just academically, but in friendships and relationships.”
“And the importance of community, and how theatre is something I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s given me a chance to step back from what I thought I knew and begin to understand my purpose. I’m certainly making it out to be something incredibly deep, but the simplest answer is that I’m a different person because of what Olivet has given me.”
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