Olive Barricklow is an event planner extraordinaire.
When not in class, she’s likely brainstorming or coordinating fun activities like outdoor concerts, Bingo nights, or caramel apple bars for fellow Ohio Northern University students.
“I love when people get together,” she says. “For me, it’s all about community.”
A double major in communication & media and public relations, Olive is president of the Student Planning Committee (SPC). “We’re a student organization that hosts free events for students just about every week,” she says. “Our goal is to offer something for everyone.”
Involved with SPC since her freshman year, Olive credits the organization for her decision to become an event planner. Every aspect of event planning, from idea generation and managing budgets to handling logistics and drumming up attendance, fits her extroverted, creative personality.
“I have an absolute blast doing it,” she says.
Two event coordinator internships affirmed her decision. Just this past summer, she worked with corporate executives at the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, planning events taking place in a beautiful meeting space overlooking Lake Erie.
At ONU, Olive is also involved in dance and is an RA in Founders Hall. For her senior capstone project, she’s researching the decline in social engagement in the U.S. following the COVID-19 pandemics.
As SPC president, she’s committed to making this year the most exciting yet. She’s off to a great start. In September, inspired by the 1970s era “Tunes on the Tundra,” SPC brought country music artist Christopher Essex to the Tundra, complete with a soda truck, free food, and blanket giveaways.
“I’m always thinking, ‘What can we do differently? What can we do that’s new? How are we going to make it exciting?’” she says.
Olive chose ONU because she didn’t want to be “just another face in a crowd”—and as it turns out, her face has become known throughout campus as a force behind campus connection.
“This community is awesome, so it’s special to be someone who helps build that community,” she says. “I feel like I’ve made an impact on this campus, but ONU has made an even bigger impact on me.”