“Determined, competitive, adventurous,” that is how Emily Yerge would describe herself in three words. If you spend any time talking to her, you can easily see how right she is.
A former high school athlete, Emily Yerge is used to being busy. You can find her involved in almost every aspect of Olivet Nazarene University student life. She has two campus jobs, is a singer in Proclamation Gospel Choir, and she is the Executive Photographer for the Aurora Yearbook. She is someone that could easily be described as having a zest for life. Between her passion for other serving others, video editing, and the outdoors, Emily doesn’t let anything slow her down.
A proud Michigander, Emily grew up attending Nazarene events and hearing all about Olivet Nazarene University. Although Emily felt a strong pull toward mission work during her Sophomore year of high school, she initially chose to attend Michigan Tech. However, while working at a summer camp with quite a few Olivet students, she was reminded of her passion for missions. That same week, she called and enrolled at Olivet.
Loyal
Friends and family play a huge role in Emily’s life. In addition to serving other people, she also loves spending time with those she already knows. Her love for her friends and family shines through when she talks about them. These people bring so much joy to Emily’s life, and she can’t imagine life without them.
“No matter what I do, or what I achieve in the future, I really just hope that I have the people I care about most by my side.”
Emily Yerge
Luckily, this is a mutual feeling. It is easy to see that Emily is just as adored by those she loves. Emily’s roommate, Makenzie Sherwood said, “Emily is unique because of how she loves, which is so full-heartedly. She would do absolutely anything if she knew it would make someone she loves feel cared for.”
Diligent
Many college students come into college unsure of what they would like to study, and Emily was no exception. She was a Business Administration major when she first began attending Olivet, but quickly realized that was not the career for her. For a while, she wasn’t sure what that would mean for her future. She knew she was in the wrong major, but wasn’t sure where to go from there.
In high school, Emily had enjoyed editing videos into highlight reels for events, or making videos for class projects. While talking with a friend, Emily realized there may be a way for her to combine both her passion for mission work and her love for video editing. After talking more with her friend and a few different professors, she changed her major. She is now double majoring in Multimedia Communication and Intercultural Studies.
While both her majors are perfect for her passion for serving others, Multimedia is perfect for her love of video editing, and Intercultural Studies is perfect for her love traveling. Emily has a dream to see “see as much of this world as I can.”
Ambitious
She is well on her way to seeing the world. Emily spent summer 2019 working at, and exploring, Glacier National Park in Montana. This upcoming summer, she is planning to work at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. Although these are both located in the U.S. Emily would also love to travel around the rest of the world.
“Emily is Loyal, Diligent, and Ambitious”
Makenzie Sherwood
That is how Sherwood would describe her roommate, Emily, in three words. After learning more about Emily, it’s not hard to see just how true that really is.
