June 13, 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

Get to know SJO marching band member Kirsten Schaefer

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite part about marching band is the endless support that is shared throughout the band with one another and...

‘Girl Scouts is not all arts and crafts’

January 19, 2023

January 19, 2023

” Hannah Fox wanted to help feed her community. And for her Girl Scout Gold Award she attempted to do...

Kids Say… St. Joseph Second Grade

March 22, 2019

March 22, 2019

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

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...

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...

‘Scouting has been such a wonderful experience for me’

January 19, 2023

January 19, 2023

Sara Steffens’ Gold Award project is personal. The Ogden Girl Scout was inspired by her sister. “I learned that the...

‘There was a spunk and tenacity to her that would never quit, concede or fail’

February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023

Tiffany Kelley was many things. A loving mother. A great friend. An inspiration and a fighter. The St. Joseph resident...

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

10 things you don’t know about me Staci Potter

August 12, 2021

August 12, 2021

We asked St. Joseph-Ogden’s new district bookkeeper to tell us 10 interesting facts about herself. Meet Staci Potter. 1. My...

Work continuing on Rail Trail

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022

Ogden, IL – The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is poised to construct 1.5 miles of the Kickapoo Rail Trail...

St. Joseph rallies to find missing dog

September 17, 2020

September 17, 2020

Operation bring Piper home is in full effect in St. Joseph. Piper, a yellow labrador retriever, went missing from the...

10 things you don’t know about me… Yasmin Rietmann

March 27, 2019

March 27, 2019

Yasmin Rietmann helps customers at St. Joseph Automotive in addition to raising her three kids and much more. This post...

Family hoping for second miracle

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

The Rosnett family is hoping for a second miracle. Earlier this year, Angelique and Cole Rosnett were faced with an...

Dairy Barn still for sale

July 6, 2022

July 6, 2022

The Sidney Dairy Barn is still for sale. Listed for sale in mid-June, the iconic ice cream stand has yet...

Employees help co-worker during time of need

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021

The staff at the St. Joseph Subway wanted to help April Patton. Manager Adam Porter said his co-worker said she...

Comments
Leave a Reply