Olivet Nazarene University is a private Nazarene university located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Nik Shallon, a junior majoring in Multimedia Communication Radio, has many different hobbies that he enjoys doing on this beautiful campus. He enjoys playing basketball with his friends on campus at the Perry Center.
He also enjoys going to Starbucks to grab a coffee and, of course, do some studying. If he does not do his studying in Starbucks, he can be found studying in Olivet’s own Benner Library. Shallon has enjoyed his time here at Olivet thus far.
One of his favorite courses that he has taken was during his second semester of his sophomore year. This class was his Sports Broadcasting class.
“I really enjoyed this class because that class got me a taste of what I want to do when I graduate college,” he said.
Shallon was also able to make some new connections through this class.
“A few connections through this class that I gained include Mike Knezivich, who calls the Olivet Nazarene University athletic games,” Shallon said.
Most evenings, he enjoys staying in his apartment and hanging out there, while talking with his roommate. Shallon’s roommate is on the football team.
“Sometimes it can be hard to hang out with my roommate because my roommate has commitments with football,” he said.
While Shallon is finishing up his junior year, and still has his senior year left at Olivet, he has already started to look into the future and what his life could be like after he graduates. Shallon says that he has plans to be a sports journalist or a sports broadcaster.
“I have always wanted to do that since I was in seventh grade,” he said.
He knew that sports would be an area of interest because sports has always been a passion of his. While he knew that he did not see himself being a professional sports player in his future, he decided to still take some involvement behind the scenes.
Sports as a whole have always interested Shallon. After he receives his Bachelor’s degree, he would like to focus on baseball or football. While his interests reside in baseball and football, Shallon said, “I am honestly open for any of them to start off because I need to get my foot in the door.” Shallon says that as he is starting out his career, it is more important for him to get in the door.
His end goal is to be writing for professional sports leagues. A few that he lists include the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and possibly even the National Hockey League.
Long-time friend of Shallon, Connor Chase, recalled the time when they first met.
“We met in seventh grade during math class. We always liked to go to the baseball fields during the summer and hang out with other friends,” Chase said.
While Chase does not attend Olivet, they are still good friends, and enjoy reminiscing on their friendship throughout the years.
