By Tom Ramstetter
Special to KyForward
Olivia Adkins saw something special at Northern Kentucky University.
“You really feel like a part of something bigger than yourself just by being a student here,” the Russell, Ky., native said.
“Coming from a small town, I felt as if there weren’t as many opportunities there that I wanted to be exposed to. I love the people and I love being around my family, but I chose NKU because the day I visited, I loved the atmosphere and all the opportunities that were available here. I also love the greater Cincinnati area because it is completely different from where I am from.”
So she hit the road to NKU and the 19-year-old sophomore social work major has gotten everything she’s dreamed of so far.
Olivia is the photo editor for The Northerner, an independent student-produced newspaper. She is a resident assistant for University Housing, and she is an active member of Kappa Delta sorority where she has had a wealth of philanthropic opportunities.
“NKU offers many different outlets to all different types of people,” she said. “It has allowed me to get involved in things that are beneficial to me while obtaining good grades in my classes.”
The organizations she’s been part of have opened many doors for her. There have been so many, in fact, that it’s hard for her to pick out a single best moment of her nearly two years at NKU.
“As cliché as it sounds, honestly, my best experiences here at NKU have been meeting the people here and building such strong relationships,” Olivia said. “NKU provides such a community environment that it is hard not to feel close to the people here! I have had many adventures with friends here that I will never forget, and I don’t think those adventures would have been possible if it wasn’t for NKU. Everyone in this community has something amazing to offer, and once I leave NKU, I hope to leave a part of myself to the community that has given so much to me.”
Olivia hopes to take her social work major to employment in a hospital, perhaps as a grief counselor. She is minoring in art “because I would like to use art to help people therapeutically in nontraditional ways.” She’s open to taking a completely different road, however, because not knowing what’s around the corner “is the exciting part about life!”
She said she enjoys the “very rewarding” role of resident adviser in Commonwealth Hall dorm, a residence for mostly first-year students. “I have been able to help students find their way here at NKU and get involved in things that will impact them for their whole college experience,” she said. “I don’t look at having the 20 residents on my floor as being a part of my job, because it is a job and not an easy one, but I look at them as 20 new friendships that I have made.”
The experience of being photo editor has given Olivia entrance to events she never imagined. “I have photographed some of the theater shows, such as Arabian Nights, the grand opening for the Norse Violence Prevention Center, and I have met with many different people on campus that have amazing stories.”
Last winter, her position led her to work with the national Help-Portrait Project which was working in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine community. “The Help-Portrait Project is for people that have never had a photo taken of them or their family. I was able to take them of many people during the holidays,” Olivia said.
The sophomore said she was drawn to her sorority because of the philanthropic opportunities such as Prevent Child Abuse America, the Girl Scouts USA and the Confidence Coalition. “By being in Kappa Delta, I have met many friends that I will have for the rest of my life, and it has made me a better woman,” she said, although she joked that it may not have made her a better soccer player. Playing through the sorority in intramural tournaments has been good, she said. “I may not have been the best player, but it was a good experience for the most part.”
If she has any advice for other NKU students, it is to attend the Breaking Ground leadership retreat. She attended one last spring and said the opportunity “to learn about myself as a leader and a person through different exercises and events” helped her once she returned to campus. “I was able to implement those experiences once coming back to NKU and better myself as a leader and a member of my organizations.”
Tom Ramstetter works in marketing and communications at Northern Kentucky University.