Date: May 20, 2005
Contact: Michael Hopkins
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: m-hopkins@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, May 20, 2005 – Downers Grove resident Don Olund has been selected Student Commencement Speaker for the Spring Commencement of Governors State University.
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Don Olund
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The commencement will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2005, at the Holiday Inn Select Hotel and Convention Center, 18501 S. Harlem Avenue, in Tinley Park.
Olund will receive his Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from the university’s Division of Psychology and Counseling. He will graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Olund’s superior academic achievements earned him membership in Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society of professional counseling.
While a student, he was entrusted with the supervision of Governors State’s counseling lab. There he helped families and individuals in need find and receive the free counseling services of the university’s Division of Psychology and Counseling.
Dr. Shannon Dermer, a Governors State professor of Psychology and Counseling, noted Olund’s compassion and writing abilities. She said he has already contributed a chapter to a counseling book, a rare accomplishment for a student.
Dr. Catherine Sori, a well-respected expert and noted author in the marriage and family counseling field, was one of Olund’s professors and mentors. She said, “It is very rare to find a student who possesses the combination of unique qualities that Don Olund has. He is brilliant and dedicated, with a true gift for the art of counseling. He has a large heart for helping hurting people. I know he will be a positive force in the field of counseling in the years to come. My life is richer for having had him as a student.”
Olund, who returned to school to complete his education at age 40, is typical of Governors State University’s students. Most are working adults, who juggle the demands of education, work, and family life.
He earned his Associate’s degree from Richard J. Daley College in 1980, and, after a 20 year hiatus, returned to the college classroom in 2000. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Governors State in 2002.
Olund has accepted a full-time position as a marriage and family counselor at LifeWork Counseling Center, where he served his GSU internship. He plans to use his degree and knowledge to network with local churches and service agencies to provide counseling services in DuPage County. He also intends to continue his education, in addictions studies, and, possibly, doctoral studies.
Olund credits the support of his wife, Marian Olund, for his success.
“She is my best friend and my greatest supporter,” he said.
Olund has three children, Candace, Justin, and Jordan, and one grandchild, Cameron.
