Get To Know Katy
“I hope to spread the right messages through Communications and English,” said Katy Swan, a sophomore, who is double-majoring in Multimedia Communication and English at Olivet Nazarene University. Swan also helps run Olivet Inklings, which is a half dungeons and dragons, and a half creative writing club on campus.
Photo by: Alaina Sanders
Why Olivet?
Swan has a long history of relatives who have attended Olivet. She also went to a Nazarene church back in her hometown of Marion, Ind., which she says put ONU further onto her radar when looking for schools. But the Communication and English departments were what made the choice complete. Faith is also something she says plays a huge role in her life.
“I’m definitely becoming more and more influenced every day. It’s like a growth thing,” she said. “And I hope to spread, like, the right messages through communications in English, and eventually taking that into the job field and just, like, spreading good and wholesome Christian messages, too, and just, like, making sure people get the hope that they need in the world.”
Passions
Swan has an immense passion for storytelling. Through the Inklings club she is able to lead writing workshops, but her love for writing doesn’t stop there. She loves writing stories and is currently working on writing a novel. Swan says she wants to become an editor in the future and help people to tailor their own stories.
“I mean, at first, I wanted to be a writer. But I realized I loved helping people revise their own works better than I liked writing,” she said. “And it just felt really cool. I realized how much writers need that. And so, I remember my aunt would always give me feedback on whatever I was writing,” Swan continued. “I really loved that. It was really cool. And so, I want to do the same thing for other people.”
Family
Her passion for books started early in life, and Swan attributes much of her love for stories to her family. Her parents encouraged her to read and always had books available at home. Her grandfather, a published author, received help from Swan’s parents during the publishing process and Swan’s aunt gave feedback for her stories. All of this cultivated Swan’s love for writing books and poetry.
Dance
Other than writing, Swan participated in another form of art for about a decade.
“I did ballet for like 10 years,” Swan said.
She mentioned she had to stop in junior year of high school due to an increasing schoolwork load, but says it was a major part of her life. She danced for a Christian-based dance company and says she loved her dance instructor. Swan says she couldn’t have danced for so long if it weren’t for the community around her.
Friends
Swan says she has branched out in her confidence since attending Olivet, and she says she looks for friends who she can easily pick right back up with after a time apart.
Her friend and roommate Faith Salinas says something she loves about Swan is how perceptive she is towards the people around her, and how she trusts people.
Swan with friends, Faith Salinas, and Joelle Tong. Photo by: Alaina Sanders
“She’s very kind, she’s the nicest person I’ve met in a long while,” Salinas said.
The Future
Swan is looking forward to the rest of her sophomore year. Once she graduates, she hopes to become a media editor and help people correct their vision and execution of their stories.
