February 8, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Sweet Home Alabama

Eve Owens knew she wanted to go South.


So when she was trying to decide where to go to college she visited a lot of SEC schools.


But she found her future home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.


“In the end, Alabama was the best school for me,” she said. “The first time I visited the campus I felt I fit in with the people there and the campus was so beautiful.”


Owens, St. Joseph-Ogden High School’s co-valedictorian, is carrying on a family tradition because her older sister, Olivia, also attends the University of Alabama. It was Olivia who called Eve to tell her to check her email to see if she had been accepted to Alabama.


“When I saw that I had, I told my family and we were all super excited,” Eve said.


Eve said her parents, Melissa and Don, were extremely happy because they love the school and the fact that both girls will be attending the same school.


Eve plans on majoring in psychology on the Dental track and hopes to one day own a dental practice in North Carolina.


While she has big plans for her future, Eve said she will take numerous memories and lessons from St. Joseph-Ogden with her into adulthood.


Eve said SJO taught her to try new things.


“Don’t miss out because you don’t want to have any regrets,” she said.


Eve said that while she is looking forward to her graduation trip to Germany and starting school at Alabama in the fall, she will miss the town she grew up in.


“I’ll miss all of my friends and all of the people in my class because I grew up with them,” she said.

in Life
Banner
Related Posts

10 things you don’t know about me…Leonard Winchester

July 15, 2020

July 15, 2020

1. What is your favorite childhood memory? I don’t have one favorite childhood memory, there were so many experiences. I...

Homeward Bound: Piper’s incredible adventure comes to an end

September 23, 2020

September 23, 2020

Piper, the most famous Labrador in St. Joseph, is finally back home. The dog spent seven days exploring St. Joseph...

Get to know Senior SJO Marching Band member Allegra Pearman

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the very end of the show when the dust settles and the cheering...

Project honoring service members to be continued

March 4, 2019

March 4, 2019

The SJO Service Member Project is being reinstated thanks to two local women. Mindy Reynolds and Lee Janusch want to...

Hartman makes finals of Project Run and Play.

April 14, 2022

April 14, 2022

St. Joseph resident Emily Hartman has made it to the last round of Project Run and Play. The project is...

As children go back to school why is it important that they wear masks?

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

By: Jeanelle Murphy, DO As Covid-19 continues to thrive due to the delta variant it is more important than ever...

White Christmas on tap for area

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

This Christmas could be special weather-wise. Steve Hilberg, the Retired, Director of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, said this won’t...

Bringing Boston to St. Joseph: Jones to complete virtual marathon Monday throughout villages

September 5, 2020

September 5, 2020

Alison Jones has competed in the Boston Marathon before. On Monday, she will participate in the storied event — just...

Ask the Doctor with Dr. Jeanelle Murphy

April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020

How much screen time should my child have? What are the pros and cons for letting a toddler or grade...

‘We lost a great young man’

October 22, 2024

October 22, 2024

When Corey Thompsen was in high school at St. Joseph-Ogden, he and his fellow cross-country runners would race across the...

Sign ‘em up: Wagners to change locations in downtown St. Joseph

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Jim and Jen Wagner want to invest in St. Joseph because the community has invested in them. “Community support is...

What are some good ways to deal with stress?

November 10, 2021

November 10, 2021

By Jeanelle Murphy, DO Stress is part of life and the human body has a built in system to deal...

‘We can’t wait to be back’

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Amy Gibbons, the owner of Salon 192, is urging people not to do anything rash. That means resisting the urge...

Going the Distance: Smetzer excels at Western

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Ross Smetzer has goals. The 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate runs cross country and track for Western Illinois University...

Comments
Leave a Reply