January 12, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Frisby to fly high at Illinois State

A welcome packet from Normal told St. Joseph-Ogden High School senior Justyn Frisby all he needed to know — he would be a Redbird in the fall.


“Illinois State University had been my top choice all along,” Frisby said.
“It didn’t matter where else I was accepted into.”


Frisby chose ISU because of the school’s size and the accredited business program.
.

Frisby said the school is just big enough to represent something new and exciting, while remaining small enough to give him the “small town vibes” he has known his whole life.


“I am looking forward to taking the next step and experiencing the
ups and downs that life has to offer; how I react to such a roller
coaster experience will be a testament to who I have become,” he said.


Plus, he has family in the area.


Frisby said his parents were elated with his choice.


“It was the school I talked to them about the most, it was cheaper and some of my family lives in Bloomington,” he said. “The bottom line was
that it immediately felt like home.”


Before he fully becomes a Redbird, Frisby will graduate from SJO.


Frisby will be reading a poem at SJO’s graduation on Sunday.


Graduation takes place at 3 p.m. at the high school.


Frisby, who was a defender on the SJO soccer team, said he would miss
SJO but he would take the valuable lessons he learned there with him
to college.


“I have learned to stand apart from the crowd, and to not lot other’s
perception of me mold me into the person that they want me to become,”
he said.

Frisby said he will also miss playing soccer with his teammates, the
camaraderie the sport offers and even going to practice every day.


“Becoming emotionally invested in a group of people each year is a
treasured memory of mine,” he said. “Soccer has taught me how to take criticism even when I think there is nothing left to be learned (there
always is), and how to become a better leader as I was a captain my
senior year. “

in Life
Banner
Related Posts

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...

‘He was the kind of person everyone was happy to see’

July 19, 2025

July 19, 2025

Sam Shonkwiler was full of life. He would walk in a room and people would call his name. He had...

Giving back: Short wins St. Joseph Chamber Citizen of the Year

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Tim Short loves St. Joseph. He and his wife, Amy, moved to St. Joseph in 1992 and never thought of...

KIDS SAY…

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

How I get it done… Diana Foltz

October 7, 2022

October 7, 2022

We are asking local business leaders how they accomplish goals and run their businesses. We spoke to Diana Foltz, the...

10 things you don’t know about me… Alisyn Franzen

December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021

We asked St. Joseph Middle School Principal Alisyn Franzen to tell us 10 interesting things about herself. Here are her...

SJO community mourns death of Glenn Fisher: ‘He had a heart of gold’

January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

Glenn Fisher liked to tease people. Whether he was telling the newly hired football coach at St. Joseph-Ogden High School...

Kids Say….

March 8, 2019

March 8, 2019

Every week we will have five students from an area school answer a question for us. This week it’s five...

Sweet Home Alabama

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Eve Owens knew she wanted to go South. So when she was trying to decide where to go to college...

10 things you don’t know about me… Joe Hackney

September 27, 2024

September 27, 2024

1. What is a tv or movie you could watch over and over and why? Lately, I’m really looking forward to...

Hometown appeal: The Wheelhouse earns Business of the Year honors

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

When the Wheelhouse opened in 2017, it was unlike anything in St. Joseph. And still is. The farm-to-table restaurant owned...

Graduation speakers thank parents, teachers and look to the future

May 20, 2019

May 20, 2019

The theme of Hannah Lewis’ welcome address at St. Joseph-Ogden’s graduation on Sunday could be summed up as thank you....

Auto shop offering free oil changes to healthcare workers

June 12, 2020

June 12, 2020

St. Joseph Automotive and Diesel is helping the people who help us. During the month of June, in collaboration with...

Kids Say…

August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019

Students from PVO South tell us if they would like to be a farmer. This post is sponsored by Longview...

Lending a hand: how to help out the Short family

March 25, 2019

March 25, 2019

Amy Short and her family don’t like to ask for help. So their friends are doing it for them. Amy...

Comments
Leave a Reply