by Jadyn Aldrich
Class of 2025

Creativity and curiosity mark the well-rounded individual. Even a brief conversation with Crown Alumna Cheryl Hatlevig makes it clear that she represents this truth, as a successful professional who demonstrates not only practical leadership skills but innovation in her current role as a director in marketing. For Cheryl, Crown was a place which fostered her love for the humanities and helped to broaden her perspective. This insightfulness and open-mindedness have been vital, and they have allowed her to not only draw from the experiences of others but to appreciate firsthand the role God has played in her own narrative.   

Cheryl graduated from Crown (or St. Paul Bible College as it was known at the time) with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1985. Originally hailing from Southern Minnesota, what really drew her to the school was its small-town feel. This differentiated Crown for her and made it much less daunting than the larger metro schools.  

Given Cheryl’s inclination to the arts and humanities, Crown’s literature classes held special appeal. “Those were my favorite,” she said, “just from the experience of loving reading and dissecting the various ways that people wrote and what inspired them.” She took all the literature classes that were offered, including some which current Crown students may recognize, like American Literature. But Cheryl’s campus involvement extended far outside the classroom. Outside of coursework, she capitalized on many campus leadership opportunities. This included serving on “Campus Days,” working as the admin for the music department under Dr. Flickinger, serving on a new student orientation team, as well as being an integral part of Crown’s former newspaper, “Campus Crusader.”  

The Campus Crusader kept her especially busy. In her senior year, she had worked her way up to the role of editor. Cheryl recalled how tedious the production of the paper had been. Crown obtained its first computer between her junior and senior year, and to do any article writing (not unlike the one you are currently reading), students had to book times in the lab to access the one computer on campus. The Crusader printed every other week, featuring articles about general campus news, events, and student activities, as well as athletic events — a section that gained particular attention was when Crown began its football team during her senior year. 

While balancing these positions could not have been easy, Cheryl said that these leadership opportunities were the most valuable in preparing her for the work force. They provided, “opportunities for handling questions and conflict … making a meaningful experience,” she said, as well as equipping her for success in diverse working environments. 

However, her favorite extracurricular activity was Crown’s drama program. Portraying “Lucy” in Crown’s production of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” is one of her fondest memories from her student experience. Another favorite memory was being part of the Crown Choir, and she shared fondly the opportunity she had to go on the choir tour her senior year, travelling to states like North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.  

These years were also spiritually formational for Cheryl, especially while attending Deeper Life events which produced two key takeaways. The first of these was the importance of community. When Cheryl first came to Crown, she knew no one, and had to start forming community, “completely from scratch.” Through this process she learned the value of relationship building, and while getting to know residents in her dorm floor, she came to embrace differences as much as similarities. She loved learning about the unique journeys that had brought other students to Crown, and once again, she was drawn to learning others’ stories. 

This tied into her second takeaway, which was the overall inspiration that came in hearing the testimonies of Deeper Life speakers and others who had overcome extraordinary obstacles in their lives. The reality of their victories and the testimonies of their hope helped change Cheryl’s perspective, especially around how she perceives challenges in her own life. Her faith carries her through these difficult moments. She reflected how this endurance largely contrasts contemporary thought. When people are so used to, “instant gratification, how do you adjust to a bad experience?” Cheryl said. For her, she feels her biblical foundation has been crucial to navigating these situations. 

Cheryl says she has also experienced God on a much more personal level, through His leading. “The path that I’ve taken has been guided by His hand.” She elaborated that often, when in the midst of a stressful situation, you may not see how God was at work until you come out of it. This has been true for her, and she shared that God has led her down paths she never would have guessed she would have taken. But it was through this guidance that she arrived at where she is today. “We have a very limited imagination, and God is much bigger,” Cheryl said. “Where we go one mile, God takes us twenty.” 

Cheryl encouraged incoming Crown students to allow God to lead their lives, even if it’s not in a way they would have initially imagined. She also advised they, “study hard,” and finish their degree, as sometimes that is just the first step into what God has next.  

As for graduating seniors, she encouraged them to polish their communication skills (fitting coming from a communications major). This is especially relevant in interviews, and she encouraged them to be confident, present, and to ask questions. “I think everyone has a story,” she said, “so come with a story to tell!”  

This insight extends into all aspects of life. Understanding God’s role in Cheryl’s story offers encouragement to reflect on His leading in our own. Such a shift in perspective can help us understand that our lives are held in God’s hands, and that they unfold according to His plan.  

There is something to be learned in the diversity of human experience and from every individual’s unique story. Cheryl understands this, and through blending both creativity and innovation with the practical skills required for leadership, she exhibits wisdom and gets at the heart what it means to be a well-balanced Christian leader.