15 Minutes with Jon Robey, 2013 AHS Graduate
By Bailey Bowers
Tell us about what you’ve been up to since your graduation from Ada High School last May.
Last summer I worked as a lifeguard at the Ada Pool until it was time to head out for college. On Aug. 24, 2013, I was on my way to start my freshman year at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school year followed a repetitive schedule. I’d wake up at 5:00 am, go to swim practice, grab breakfast and coffee before my 8:00 am class then have class until 3:00. At 3:00, I had lifting and after lifting, I had practice until 6:30. I’d grab some dinner and get back to my room around 7:15 or 7:30. I didn’t do much fun stuff after that. I normally finished my homework and went to bed around 9:30 which would give me 7.5 hours of sleep. It was brutal but I got through it.
I did, however, make time every Tuesday night for FCA [Fellowship of Christian Athletes]. No matter how much sleep I was missing out on, FCA was my weekly boost in spirit and faith. If I didn’t go, I would have more sleep, but I also wouldn’t have made it through the school year.
I also joined Team World Vision at Olivet. TWV is a charity that raises money for clean water in Africa. They raise money every year by running the Chicago marathon and doing fundraising. I signed up to run the Chicago marathon with TWV, but I might not be able to do that since I tore my meniscus last September. The doctor said I wouldn’t need surgery, which allowed me to swim. It’s starting to bother me again and I’m afraid I might need surgery after all.
Even though I messed up my knee, I still swam and made it to NAIA Nationals in Oklahoma City. Our team placed second overall which was nice. In my individual events, I didn’t get my best times, but I got pretty close. Since then, I’ve just been finishing up my school work and I’m currently working at the Ada Pool again as the Assistant Manager.
What is it about Olivet Nazarene that made you decide to pursue your education there?
I didn’t choose Olivet, Olivet chose me. That’s a pretty cheesy line but really that’s what happened. I didn’t know about Olivet until Coach Teeters gave me a call and told me about their new swimming program. I guess the line should be “I didn’t choose Olivet, Scott Teeters chose me.” I looked into the school and the swim program to see if I could see a future there. I wanted to go to a bigger college, which Olivet is not, but I felt my faith was leading me towards Olivet.
Olivet is such a friendly community and it truly showed in the swim team. I was instantly welcomed in and everyone was so nice and eager to get me on the team. After my first visit to Olivet, I cancelled all my other visits. I knew right then that I was going to become a Tiger.
Olivet also has a very nice Engineering program with the same credentials as Purdue so that influenced my decision. Olivet is a Christian college with a backbone. I didn’t really know how strict they were until I enrolled there. Any guy can’t have girls in their dorm ever unless it’s Thursday night between 7 pm and 11 pm.
I also have to go to Chapel every Wednesday and Thursday or else I’ll get fined. This isn’t too bad because Chapel is fun for me, but it’s not so fun for others. We also have to take four theology classes which are fun to take so it’s no big deal. We also have a dress code similar to Ada High school, but a little stricter. We can’t wear shorts to class.
I also chose Olivet because of its location. It’s an hour south of Chicago so I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Windy City multiple times and it’s just a blast.
Do you have an idea of your future career plans? What sparked your interest in engineering?
I chose engineering because I really enjoyed the math and science courses at Ada High School. Even though my group lost every engineering challenge in Mr. Lusk’s class except the last one, I still felt the need to understand how things work and design our future. I always had creative ideas and would display it with my redneck engineering. I remember a few years ago I took a thin tarp, some string, and a bookbag and made a parachute with Michael Chen. We tested it out it didn’t really work too well. Maybe that’s why my knees are messed up.
Anyway, I decided this year to double major in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. I figured they go hand in hand and if I work hard, I can finish them both in four years. So far at Olivet, my engineering team and I have designed a snap-in light bulb socket and a mountain bike with a built-in air pump.
As far as my career plans go, I have that halfway figured out. I want to get an internship and then eventually work a few years close to home after graduation to help build some extra cash. Then I was thinking about moving to Chicago or Colorado, my two favorite places, to start working for an automotive company designing fuel efficient cars or alternative modes of transportation that will be cheap and good for the environment.
If that doesn’t work out, I’ll try to find a place to work for that focuses on changing the environment and helping people who are weak. In a nutshell, I want to work anywhere that I can do the Lord’s will and use my talents and knowledge to help the world. I’m not doing it for the money but for the satisfaction of helping others. I feel like if everyone lived that way we would be in a better world.
You were a state-ranked swimmer in high school and now you’re swimming for your college team. Tell us what it’s like to be a student athlete at the collegiate level. Is it hard to manage the busy schedule?
Being a college swimmer doesn’t make it too hard to balance my schedule because I had to virtually remove all social life from my life and focus on school work. It’s something a ton of people can’t do but I have to in order to chase my dreams. The worst part about college swim was the winter training trip. We didn’t really have one. We just stayed in the freezing cold city of Bourbonnais.
Instead of four weeks off for Christmas I had one week off. The other three weeks I was getting my butt kicked. We would swim around 10 miles a day; 8,000 meters in the morning and 8,000 meters in the evening. It was brutal, but once I got through it I felt so much better and more in shape.
Is there an Olympic swimmer that you look up to the most? Why does that one stand out?
I don’t really look up to any Olympic athletes but I have always had a role model in my life. He never knew I looked up to him, but I did. His name is Josh Fleagle. He is a very talented swimmer but what I admired most about him was his humbleness and he always swam every race for God.
If you had to give one piece of advice to graduating high school seniors who are headed to college in the fall, what would it be?
My advice to graduating seniors would be to make a schedule! Make one that has all your classes on it with times and everything and post it right next to your desk. It helped out so much. Also, make another schedule for when things are due. Usually your class will give you a syllabus with due dates on it so I would strongly advise you to make a schedule with all those dates complied.
Do you have a favorite memory from your high school days you’d like to share?
I’d say my favorite memory was Spirit Week my senior year because at the time, Levi Klingler and I were going to ONU for Calculus and I had to go to college classes wearing the most ridiculous outfits possible. [For example, I distinctly remember Jon going to class decked out in a pirate outfit one day and as Captain America the next.] The amount of weird looks I got was beyond the number of fingers and toes I have.
Thanks for sharing with us, Jon, and good luck as you continue your education at Olivet!
