Getting to Know Lauren Gadbois
“I knew from the moment I stepped on campus for my first visit that this was where I wanted to be.” said Lauren Gadbois, senior, who is double majoring in Spanish and Communication Studies at Olivet Nazarene University. Additionally, Gadbois is also pursuing a minor in Leadership. In addition to her schooling and classes, Gadbois works at the desk in the fitness center on the second floor of Perry. Although this combination of commitments makes for a busy schedule, Gadbois is still intentional about finding time to be with her friends.
“I value my friendships very highly,” Gadbois says. She has also found that her relationships tend to thrive the most when she is in small group settings. Her best friend, Tristyn Grube, said, “My favorite memory with Lauren is when we went to Disney World while Lauren was working there this past summer. She got to show me all her favorite rides and all the delicious food! We made the best memories!”
Why Olivet?
Gadbois’ grandparents live in the Bourbonnais area, so as a young girl, she visited the campus of Olivet Nazarene University and the surrounding town. Although neither her parents nor grandparents attended Olivet themselves, Gadbois found the school appealing and decided to apply. When she eventually came to Olivet for an official visit day through the Office of Admissions, she immediately fell in love with the school and made the decision to attend.
Majors
Of her two majors, Gadbois enjoys Spanish the most. When she was in high school, Gadbois found that none of the subjects she was taking particularly sparked her interest or captured her attention.
However, Spanish was an exception.
“Spanish was the only class I ever really found that I actually liked in high school,” Gadbois said. Gadbois loves interacting with different people and cultures, connecting with people in different walks of life, and being able to communicate with people who she could not before.
In addition to the Spanish major, Gadbois has a Communication Studies major. Although she did not initially come to Olivet with this major in mind, over her time in school, Gadbois realized the value of adding it to her education plan. Since she ultimately wants to work in the field of bilingual marketing, it is essential that she not only learn to speak Spanish, but also to persuade and effectively communicate her message to her target audience. Gadbois said, “I like the Communication Studies side of my double major because I feel like it gives me the opportunity to use my creative side more.”
Involvement
Lauren Gadbois is highly involved on campus at Olivet. She has a job working at the desk in the fitness center, was an RA in Grand apartments, is involved in intramurals, enjoys all of the large campus events hosted by Life at Olivet, and she is a part of Cafécito. Cafécito is a Spanish extracurricular in which Gadbois meets with three freshmen in the Spanish Department and they speak to each other only in Spanish. Gadbois said, “It’s really nice to be able to have the opportunity to practice my own speaking skills while also helping out younger people who enjoy Spanish in the same way I do.”
Studying Abroad
In the spring of 2024, Gadbois had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain. While many people would consider this opportunity exciting, Gadbois found the situation to be rather daunting. As she had never really left home and also never been outside of the country before, this tentativeness is understandable.
“The most intimidating part of the experience was being completely submersed in a non-english speaking environment with no help,” Gadbois said. However, Gadbois faced her fear, and even though there were times when she thought she would not be able to finish her stay in Spain, she made it to the end of the experience. After coming back to the United States and reflecting on her time away, Gadbois realized the value of her trip, and she is grateful for the wonderful experience she was able to have there.
