I always knew I wanted to attend Olivet Nazarene University. My uncle, Grover Brooks ’69, was the dean of students. When my family came for a visit from Michigan, we often stopped at the ONU campus. At an early age, I began to imagine what student life would be like for me there. Even today, every time I step on campus, I experience that same feeling of belonging and acceptance.
Career Connections at ONU
My dream became a reality when I enrolled as a freshman at ONU and chose social work as my major. I lived in Williams Hall that first year, and I continue to treasure my dorm life memories and friendships. During my college years, I was a leader in the Women’s Residence Association. I also traveled and sang with LifeSong, a music ministry group.
A life-impacting experience occurred for me during my junior year at ONU. Professor Michael LaRue had a long career as a school social worker before he came to teach in our department. A component of one of his classes included a field trip to Chicago and a stop at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. The museum is on the campus of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Jane Addams College of Social Work, where professor LaRue had earned his graduate degree. That trip planted in me a desire to keep pursuing my education.
ONU equipped me academically to further my education with confidence and competence. I earned my Master of Social Work degree from UIC, and I have served as a public school social worker in Illinois. Currently, I am a contract social worker for the Oak Park River Forest High School, District 200, in Oak Park, Illinois. My grounding in Biblical truth at ONU provides another foundational layer in defining who I am in the workplace.
Family Connections With ONU
In the spring semester of my freshman year at ONU, I met and began dating Bart Garvin ’90, a freshman football player. Bart played center for the ONU Tigers, and some of my favorite ONU memories are of attending Tiger football games and watching Bart play on Ward Field.
After graduation I moved to the Chicagoland area and began my career working in mental health. In 1992 Bart and I married, and we are the parents of four adult children: Molly, who is a cardiac care nurse; Claire, who serves in youth ministry; Caroline, a senior corporate communication and public relations major at ONU as well as the first Garvin grandchild to be a Tiger; and Sam, who recently graduated from high school and is preparing to pursue a career in aviation.
My Olivet family heritage includes my mother and two of my maternal uncles who are alumni. Bart’s family also has a strong family legacy. He is one of five siblings who all attended ONU, as did his parents and maternal grandfather and uncle. ONU is a strong thread in the tapestry of our family. The spiritual formation we experienced there is part of our story. ONU has impacted how our family members live out their personal and professional callings.
As a parent and as an alumna, I value ONU’s ongoing commitment to providing Christ-centered education and the dedication of professors and staff to helping students succeed in life. You can get a degree from any school. What sets ONU apart is the intentional focus on learning to live with integrity and wisdom in your chosen field. I believe ONU’s student success rate is significant because of this.
Connecting Alumni With ONU
Currently, I have the privilege of serving as president of ONU’s Alumni Board. One of my top priorities is to seek opportunities for the Alumni Board to engage with the current Olivet students and to support the mission of Olivet. One way to do this is to utilize Olivet Connect in more intentional ways. I would love to see more alumni walking alongside students and recent graduates, sharing wisdom with them while helping them to find open doors and success in their chosen professions.
There are many ways alumni can impact the mission, quality and life of the University. One of the most important ways is by giving financially to the Strength & Hope Campaign. By giving, you can be part of writing ONU’s next chapter.
Alumni can also help by using the Great People Know Great People tool at Olivet.edu to recommend prospective students. That network of referrals is so vital to the University’s admissions efforts.
If I could share one thing with ONU graduates, I want them to know that this University is not the same as it was when you were here. ONU is growing and expanding in so many ways. You need to come and take a look at what is happening now, and Homecoming/Family Weekend is a great opportunity to do that.
Alumni, your engagement with your alma mater is valuable, and the opportunities for engagement are endless. Your time, your treasure, your talents and your prayers are all beneficial for ONU.
From Olivet The Magazine, A Need to Belong – Summer 2024. Read the full issue here.
