Choosing Olivet
Hannah Villarreal’s story to Olivet hasn’t been the most straightforward. Starting from her 17-hour drive just to get to Campus from her hometown of Denver Colorado, she has been going out of her way to make her four years the best they can be.
Her choice to go to Olivet Nazarene University was serendipitous. She grew up with other colleges in mind, “every year we would have Northwest Nazarene University come and try to recruit us.” She wanted a Christian university, since she believed those would have the best community.
Her first choice was Point Loma Nazarene University, in California. Villarreal knew it was important that whatever college she ended up going to was out of state, as being away from home would help strengthen her character among peers that shared her faith. But it wasn’t until her brother started visiting colleges that she started to get a clearer idea of where she wanted to go.
“When I was in seventh grade, my brother was touring colleges and I came with them,” Villarreal remembers her brother visiting ONU clearly.
“My Brother didn’t end up coming here, but I remembered it,” she said.
Changing Gears
After figuring out what college to attend, Villarreal had to decide what course of study to pursue. Her initial plan was to become a wedding planner, a plan she had since she was five years old. But she found out that planning weddings is a different process than just admiring them.
“I was set on being wedding planner” Villarreal said, “but then I took an event planning class here last semester to see if I would like it. I did not like it.” Even though she’ll always love weddings, she knew she had to change trajectories. Luckily, weddings aren’t her only hobby.
Villarreal started to pursue journalism instead.
“Writing’s more my thing,” and with her major in multimedia communication with a concentration in journalism, she’s hoping to capitalize on that fact. “Even if I don’t go into journalism, it would help me with any form of writing I do.
Even though being a journalist isn’t her career goal, Villarreal hopes the skills learned in her Major as a whole will help her career post Olivet.
“I wanted to have a broader range. I could be an author, I could also have a career in multimedia, journalism, law, marketing,” she said.
Making Connections
Even though Villarreal has been working diligently in her major (and professional writing minor), she has also been able to make friends and build a strong community among her fellow peers. This aspect of college life was vital for Villarreal, as it helped her cope with being away from home.
“It was hard being away from home and getting used to that. But I had some pretty good friends.” One of those friends being Reese Dosemagen, a senior majoring in multimedia with a concentration in TV/Video. The two met after Villarreal switched majors, and they became fast friends.
“We haven’t been roommates very long,” Dosemagen admits that they’ve only known each other for about a year. But between trips to Chicago and TV marathons, they have made some good memories.
“Hannah’s Amazing. I can’t wait to get to know her better,” Dosemagen said.
