Ruben Nieto

Sprinting across Olivet Nazarene University’s soccer field with all his might is Ruben Nieto. Nieto keeps on running despite the heavy load that he has as a Multimedia Communication student concentrating in film studies. His passion and joy for the things he enjoys doing keep him up and running.

Road to Film Studies

Nieto found his passion for film through a film and video production class he took during his sophomore-senior year at Marie Curie High School.

“I sort of grew a passion for it. I liked doing it, staying up until like three in the morning doing videos on like assignments and all that,” he said.

Nieto’s love for the editing side of production led him to study film studies at Olivet.

When asked about his favorite film genres, Nieto answers saying that he enjoys watching many kinds, that he likes “the wacky, zany stuff.”

Nieto said that he like genres ranging from sci-fi to historical movies to “documentary-esque.”

Nieto also enjoys watching a lot of YouTube. He made videos on YouTube during the pandemic, but stopped eventually. With his experience in multimedia and the growth of popular YouTubers he admires, he believes YouTube can be “a career path, but it also opens the door for more opportunities.”

Apart from being on his computer editing all night, he gets up and stretches for another day of soccer practice at Olivet.

Soccer Journey

Nieto has been playing soccer since he was a baby; his Hispanic culture and his relationship with his dad, Ruben Nieto Sr., led him to pursue this sport. Nieto’s dad played an important role that inspired him to pursue soccer. His dad played soccer, and because he did, Nieto wanted to play as well.

Growing up in a predominantly Hispanic area of Chicago called Little Village gave him the ability to play soccer anywhere. Nieto said that almost any Hispanic enjoys playing and watching soccer. Nieto would play soccer with other kids, he said “on the streets, we’d play a pickup at the park, recess, gym class.” His at-home life also included soccer. He recalls watching soccer games with his dad on weekends and talking about it together.  

Nieto played soccer during his entire High School career, but thought of stopping after graduation. Nieto’s mind changed after one day when he went to play by himself for fun at Olivet’s varsity field. The head coach at the time saw Nieto play and asked him if he was interested in joining the team. Nieto was intrigued and later tried out for the team; he was then accepted for the reserve soccer team.  

Nieto is currently still playing soccer at Olivet; he recalls two memorable moments of his soccer journey here. The first one was his first-ever goal, which he scored this year! The second memorable moment is as good as the first one!

Future Goals

After graduating from Olivet, Nieto’s goal is to get a job and pay off his student loans. He wants to take things slow and not have huge goals, such as working in Hollywood after graduation. He believes in taking steps to accomplish goals, but his first one is getting a job and paying off his student loans.

Nieto does mention that another big goal of his is to move away from Chicago and stay in Illinois. He said LaGrange and Western Springs, Ill., are some areas he is interested in moving to because of their quiet neighborhoods and proximity to home.

Nieto holds tight to his dad’s pieces of advice; he believes his dad always has great advice to give out. A piece of advice Nieto’s dad has given to him that Nieto lives by is a work-related piece of advice. Nieto says this advice is “whatever you’re doing, try to do your best at it.”

Adding to that, a close friend of Nieto, Caislyn Hummel, confirmed that Nieto truly follows his dad’s advice.

“For the things that he [Nieto] is most motivated for, he wants it to be his best, and there’s a desire for that, that I can see positive personality traits,.”

So, no matter what occupation Nieto lands in, we will know he will do his best.