Rooks & Olivia

 

We knew of each other growing up, but it was our decision to try out for our high school's musical that allowed us to spend countless hours together, going from acquaintances to friends. After our experience in the musical, we decided to try out for our competitive theatre class. Even though we both got into the class, we weren't best friends just yet. Our time in theatre led to countless hours of rehearsal, competitions and traveling together. From bus buddies, to scene partners, we were learning to rely on one another, and in the process we learned how much we had in common.   

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By junior year of high school, we were inseparable. However, Covid hit. In the uncertainty of what was and wasn't allowed, we found comfort in that our friendship had not been situational due to proximity, but genuine care and compassion for one another had formed. When it was time to return to school for our senior year, we had quit theatre. We still wanted to be able to see each other in school, so we aimed to get into some of the same classes, which led to Olivia enrolling in some AP & Dual Credit courses.

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By the end of senior year, we knew we would be going our separate ways. Rooks had committed to Hillsdale College, and Olivia to Mississippi State University. As she cheered him on for pursuing his dreams, she couldn't understand why it hurt so bad to watch him leave. 

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One year, Rooks invited Olivia to visit Michigan when both of their Fall Breaks aligned (first picture). During Olivia's sophomore year, she got invited to apply to the National Student Exchange Program. She was accepted to Purdue University Fort Wayne's Speech Language Pathology program. Fort Wayne, IN, ended up being an hour and a half away from Hillsdale. During their junior year, Olivia got to make trips to Hillsdale more frequently to support Rooks, who had been involved in many on-campus events throughout the year (second picture). 

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Finally, during their senior year, Rooks proposed on October 26th during the conclusion of the Hillsdale History Tours that he had been a part of leading (third picture). Afterwards, there was great excitement and celebration as the two were showered with love from Rooks' friends who had come out to support him.