By nature, a liberal arts educational environment gives students the chance to curate a vibrant multidisciplinary experience for themselves. Senior Grace Beatty, who is majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and history, and who also leads the ONU Dance team as the artistic director, in addition to choregraphing the spring musical and other School of Music events, has found this to be true.
Grace grew up in Kankakee, Illinois, and was very familiar with Olivet Nazarene University. However, like many other “townies” she wasn’t initially interested in attending a school that was so close to home.
“Olivet was always an option — it has been a part of my family for a long time,” Grace says. “When I was looking for schools I wanted a small, private Christian school with a strong biology program. I visited campus and was impressed by the department and the multiple research opportunities, including being part of the University Honors Program. All of those things combined, I felt as though God was calling me to Olivet.”
Olivet’s campus was relatively open when she moved into Williams Hall in fall 2021, but Grace felt a bit of residual isolation from the pandemic, which had drastically impacted the tail end of her high school experience. She recognized that connecting with others would be critical, but like all new students, she felt a little bit unsure how to actually dive in. Fortunately, all-school activities hosted by Life at Olivet, such as the Ollies Follies variety show, helped her settle into a new rhythm — and gave her the stage to showcase her skills of choreography and performance. 
“I watched my sister participate in Ollies Follies when she was in college and it always looked super fun,” Grace reflects. “On my first day of school there was a meeting where seniors helped the freshman class organize into multi-media, dancer and choreographer groups. I was nervous to volunteer, but thought, ‘I can do that!’ That was a turning point for me. I think if I hadn’t put myself out there and decided to choreograph freshman year, my college experience would have looked different.”
That boost of confidence helped Grace integrate more fully into campus life. However, she struggled to settle in academically. She enjoyed the biology coursework, but wondered if attending a school that offered a dance program would have afforded her better opportunities. However, in the spring of her freshman year, she auditioned for and was cast in the spring musical, Singin’ in the Rain. That experience also marked a distinct pivot in how she felt about the university, and the unique opportunities it offered for students to explore both academic and extracurricular interests.
“Theatre was something I did in high school,” Grace reflects, “But I wasn’t sure if I could continue. I never thought that college theatre could be an option for someone who wasn’t a theatre major, but I decided to audition for a show anyway and see what happened. Singing in the Rain is very tap-heavy and luckily, I had a lot of tap training.”
Following her debut on stage, Grace was approached by a castmate, Mollie Peery ’22, to audition for the fledgling ONU Dance team — which at the time, was an informal passion project.
“I had taken dance classes since I was three, so I was kind of mourning the loss of an outlet to dance when I came to Olivet,” Grace says. “The musical met that need and then Mollie had this specific project and needed dancers to fill it out. That semester was awesome to learn from Mollie and the other dancers, all of whom were upper classman, who had both more collegiate experience and more dance experience.”
That spring Mollie graduated, and the future of ONU Dance was in limbo. Hoping to continue to have performance and dance training opportunities, Grace approached the then director of ONU Theatre, Professor Ashely (Sarver) Wachter ’15/’18 MBA to inquire about taking the reins. She was given the green light and encouraged to develop the program by adding some structure. Grace happily embraced that challenge. 
In addition to building out ONU Dance to include weekly rehearsals, performance opportunities and bi-annual auditions, in the second half of her college experience, Grace has also balanced the rigorous lab work required of a biology major, worked on research ideas for her University Honors Program capstone project and worked at the Perry Student Life and Recreation Center, as well as in the biology department as a teaching assistant. She also been cast in eight ONU theatre shows, including four non-musical/non-dance shows.
“I think that Olivet’s liberal arts education really lives into the mission of ‘We believe. You belong here.’” Grace says. “There are so many opportunities that are afforded to students to fully belong on campus by allowing them to live into who they are and who God has called them to be.”
Her participation in multidisciplinary activities — like ONU Dance — that not are not only fun, but also inspire learning and facilitate community, have demonstrated a natural extension of that mission for the University.
“Dance creates a sense of belonging,” Grace explains. “Like any sport, dance demands a lot, and many dancers spend 10-15 hours per week in the studio growing up. When they make the transition from high school to college, there’s a lot of new change. You have to figure out how take care of yourself physically, but also mentally and emotionally. For me, and I think, a lot of the other girls, ONU Dance has been that way to connect on campus while continuing to do something we love, regardless of what we’re studying.”
An intricate blend of academics and extracurricular opportunities has continued for Grace throughout her four years of college. She has participated in 15 theatre shows as part of the cast and/or crew; spent two and a half weeks in Alaska on a field research trip with the biology department between her sophomore and junior years; and studied bumblebee pollen at Olivet’s two nature preserves for her University Honors Program project. She has given multiple academic presentations during Olivet’s annual Scholar Week, as well during a conference for the Department of History when she presented on how scurvy historically affected sailors during long exploratory voyages — once again finding a crossover between different academic disciplines.
Just weeks away from completing her coursework, turning in the final draft of her Honors Program thesis, performing in her last ONU Dance showcase and ultimately, crossing the stage during the Commencement Ceremony, Grace can see that not only did Olivet meet her initial academic interests, but it opened doors for her to explore a wide range of rich interdisciplinary opportunities.
“A liberal arts education was always going to be the best fit for me because it doesn’t push you into one box,” Grace reflects. “But Olivet really allowed me to fully live into who I am, instead of just focusing on my major. If I had to make the decision again, I would still pick Olivet.”
For more information on the 200 areas of academic study and extracurricular activities that Olivet offers, schedule a campus visit at Olivet.edu/Visit.
