Erin Fagan, a senior majoring in Public Relations and Strategic Communication at Olivet, is known for her love to perform, sing, and dance, enjoying every opportunity that she has been given. Fagan is full of fun energy and intelligence and has a kind personality that stands out to her peers at Olivet.
Before coming to Olivet, Fagan started her collegiate journey at Joliet Junior College, located in her hometown. She was a journalism major there, and she enjoyed the experience she was given to interview a variety of people and write stories for the school newspaper.
After wrapping up her time there, she decided to look at Olivet, having heard of the school from her older brother, who had attended for a short time. She didn’t have to spend a lot of time on the college search, as she admits that on her tour at Olivet she felt it was the fit for her.
She says, “I just remember being on campus for the first time and being like, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
She loved the smaller campus aspect, as the thought of seeing familiar faces around campus was comforting to her. She also loved that Olivet had a Christian focus, and she appreciated the fact that the school really lived that out.
As she transferred to Olivet, she also decided to shift to public relations and strategic communications rather than journalism. She felt that this was a necessary change because of the workforce stability that comes with a PR degree, which she felt would be a better fit.
Fagan’s Time at Olivet
Over the past two years, Fagan has gotten involved in many ways around campus. She loves attending Olivet’s events, such as the candy costume party, she loves the little moments around campus or in class, and she also deeply enjoys the times she’s had with the friends she’s made. She recalls a memory of her and her friends watching Dancing With the Stars together.
“Those times of sitting in our dorm room or in someone’s apartment with roommates is something I will look back on fondly,” she said.
Most of her time at Olivet, though, has been getting involved in the theatre program. She’s has always had a passion for storytelling through singing and dancing. She was particularly drawn to the theater program at Olivet because their shows were organized and presented in a way that was glorifying to God, which was something of interest to her. She was first involved in Beauty and the Beast, which was a play she had always wanted to be a part of. She has also been a part of Broadway Revue and is excited to be involved with the spring musical this year as well.
Although some may think that she is an extroverted person because of her bubbly and friendly personality, she actually admitted to being more introverted and loves her time spent alone, even though she loves being with people. She values time spent one-on-one with a person, as she finds that that time can be beneficial to friendships. A close friend, Hannah Hudgins, who quickly clicked with Erin upon meeting her, describes her as welcoming, comforting, and easy to talk to.
“She is probably the most intentional friend I have ever had,” Hudgins said. “She’s one of those friends that you’ll tell her something, and then like two weeks later she’ll ask you how that’s going, and you’ve forgotten you had even said it. She just pays attention; she’s intentional. She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
(Photo By: Jorie Gabriele)
As Fagan prepares to graduate this coming spring, she looks ahead to the future. She would love to work for a non-profit after college, as she is passionate about companies that are community-focused and those that support what they promote.
However, this is not her end goal. Fagan would love to eventually become a public librarian. But, with that, she is required to have a master’s degree. So, she plans to work in PR until she receives her master’s degree, and then she intends to be a librarian, which has been a dream of hers. She loves the fact that working in a library is focused on the community and helping people, even though she never really thought about it that way before.
Throughout Fagan’s time in college, she has dealt with a lot of change but has also used those opportunities to help her grow and gain experience, which she will be able to use in the future.
