Editor’s Choice: June 2009

By Heather Day

Whew! As I write this first monthly edition of “Editor’s Choice,” I’m standing in hot and sweaty Orlando for the 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene. Boy, it feels good to enjoy some AC for a few minutes!

I’ve met some incredible people while I’ve been down here, and I can’t wait to share some of their stories with you soon on www.olivet.edu and in upcoming issues of The Olivetian.

In the mean time, here are some of my favorite features from the month of June:

With God at the Center
As featured in the summer “Olivet at General Assembly” edition of The Olivetian

I first met Kelly Brillhart ’09 when she was working as a student ambassador on the second floor of Burke Administration Building. A sweet, attractive and always-smiling girl, she never once struck me as the kind of person who had overcome struggles with self-image, eating issues and alcohol.

In this beautifully transparent story, Kelly gives a firsthand account of how she tried to fill her life with all the wrong things — only to realize it was Christ who was missing all along.

And while you’re flipping to Kelly’s story (pg. 10), make sure to check out the beautiful photography in this issue of The Olivetian. These photos, mostly taken by adjunct photography professor and Image Group owner Bill Jurevich, are some of my favorite we’ve ever published.

Read this story


Surprise Delivery
As featured on www.olivet.edu and in the July edition of Alumni & Friends E-news

As the mother of a toddler, I’ve heard my fair share of labor stories — but I’ve never heard one quite like this! Only Charryse (Blom) Brooks ’04 and husband Tim ’03/MA ’05 had their tale deemed worthy of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s “Story of the Year,” and only Charryse and Tim can affectionately refer to daughter Mackenzie as the Driveway Baby.

Read this story


Miracle Drugs
As featured on reaganiscold.blogspot.com

A friend told me about this ongoing blog called “Into the Wild” by Reagan Taylor ’09, who is spending the summer as a camp counselor in Echo Ranch Bible Camp in Auke Bay, Alaska.

I found this particular post about praising God through the drudgery both amusing and insightful. Plus, I learned a delightful new ditty about squirrels.

Read the blog


Maria
As featured on YouTube

When casting directors first called Chad Hilligus ’03 to see if he’d be interested in being part of the 50th Anniversary World Tour of West Side Story, he was in the middle of rehearsals for a show in San Diego — so he auditioned via video. This rendition of “Maria” is what ultimately landed him the role of Tony.

Watch the video

Heather Day is Olivet’s director of marketing communications and serves as editor of The Olivetian, www.olivet.edu, Alumni & Friends E-News and Tiger Bytes.