Raquel Gonzalez
Why in the world would I include my own story as a part of this collection? For the longest time I thought that didn’t share my Olivet story openly because I didn’t think that it was as beautiful or important as those around me.
The more that I’ve grown in my faith, the more I’ve realized that my story is just as important. There is no other way to exalt the people and places that have changed my life if I don’t share it!
Here are my responses to the following questions:
What made you feel like you belong at Olivet:
There isn’t just one thing that I can point to but a culmination of people and experiences that has transformed my sense of belonging. A big part of my Olivet story is that Olivet was never “sold” to me. I never went to a Purple and Gold day, orientation, or campus visit. It was the heart of Olivet, that stole mine. Ultimately, it was professors and mentors that allowed the love of Christ to flow through them, that made me feel like I belonged.
What is your favorite memory at Olivet:
Can all of them count?! Almost four years of being at a place can accumulate a lot of memories! I have a lot of fun ones but I especially treasure the ones that became milestones of personal growth. A memory that I will treasure forever is when I was having a very rough semester during my sophomore year and for the first time I submitted a late assignment. Twenty-four hours had not even gone by when my professor, Dr. Jonathan Pickering, emailed to check in on me since this was out of the ordinary. Had it not been for that late assignment, I would have never come to his office to talk about life, balance, and rest. He encouraged me to not overwork myself and to do something that I enjoyed. His exact words were “If that means watching cat videos, than do that!”
You know it’s not a good sign when a dean is telling you to watch cat videos! In all seriousness, the fact that he took time out of his schedule to care for my soul was a level of kindness that could only be attributed to a Christ-filled man.
“It was the heart of Olivet, that stole mine.”
Is there a person that has impacted you and how:
I genuinely hate this question because there are too many people that have literally changed my life! In regard to me as an individual, the person that has made in immense impact is Professor Jon Seals. Ever since freshman year, he took me under his wing and has mentored me not only academically, but spiritually and vocationally as well. I will be completely transparent in saying that there have been several times during my time as a student that I felt that I could not press on. His nurturing and gentle spirit have led me to this point and it is to him that I owe my sincerest gratitude.
Interpersonally, Dr. Judson Strain has left an mark that will last a lifetime. I am so grateful to him for challenging my self-perception and questioned why I could love others and not who God made me. It was because of him that I began a journey of accepting and acknowledging the gifts and uniqueness of my design.
A person that stands out for his tender guidance is George Wolff, creative director of 989 Group, LLC. Through my time as an intern in the Office of Marketing at Olivet, I have affectionately called him my “office dad.” I have not met anyone else that knows how to challenge me in my practice as a creative while still nurturing my soul. He was the first person that affirmed my gifts in a professional setting and has modeled a faith-infused leadership style. It is to him that I am indebted for mining the gifts that lay hidden.