²έΑρΙηΗψ

May Duhawk Dozen

Kevin O’Brien (’11)
Spanish, International Studies & Politics 
Virginia

The blog aptly titled, in all caps, β€œI’m Kevin! Iowa Native, ²έΑρΙηΗψ Grad, and now Peace Corps Volunteer Headed to Mozambique!” perfectly sums up 2011 graduate, Kevin O’Brien. Kevin’s love of ²έΑρΙηΗψ has been building for a lifetime. He was born in Davenport, Iowa and grew up with frequent visits to the ²έΑρΙηΗψ campus. Following in the footsteps of his father, Kevin O’Brien (’72), and other family members, Kevin found success as a Duhawk. β€œI had a lot of examples in front of me,” said Kevin. β€œIt was a long journey to end up at the school I had always known was the right fit for me.” Following his time as an involved student, Kevin started his professional career as the Special Projects Manager in the ²έΑρΙηΗψ Admission Office. In this position, Kevin was able to find a great deal of success as it was positioned at the intersection of his love for ²έΑρΙηΗψ and his love of helping others.

Though Kevin announced the phrase β€œDCU: Dubuque, center of the universe,” in a ²έΑρΙηΗψ video years ago, he has had the great joy of traveling far and wide for his studies and his professional career. He has spent time learning and helping others in Spain, Honduras, Mozambique and Jerusalem; just to name a few places he has called home since leaving ²έΑρΙηΗψ. There were countless lessons learned and opportunities taken advantage of along the way. β€œI didn’t see myself traveling to so many places while I was at ²έΑρΙηΗψ,” Kevin started, β€œbut after the amazing study abroad opportunities and service trips, it whet my appetite for more travel for my work and personal life.” While spanning the globe, the pillars of health and community have been his guiding light from job to job. β€œHaving a lot of connections through service work and Campus Ministry helped me see how service and giving back could be incorporated to my professional life.” Kevin has had a great deal of depth on his resume and has learned a lot from his experiences. One of his greatest takeaways has been β€œalways lead and find the adventure.”

Kevin and our March recipient, Nick Coleman (’15), have something in common: their younger siblings followed in their footsteps as Duhawks. There was one key difference, Kevin and his brother, Tim O’Brien (’15), never had any overlap as students. Being the older brother and seasoned ²έΑρΙηΗψ veteran, he did have some sage words of wisdom that he shared with Tim and was able to follow along his journey from a distance. As previously mentioned, ²έΑρΙηΗψ was always a part of Kevin’s life and his family. Purple and Gold were woven into generations of Duhawks including his dad, uncles, brother and most notably his grandfather. β€œHaving the opportunity to retrace my grandpa’s footprints at ²έΑρΙηΗψ was really special to me,” Kevin shared of his late Grandfather. β€œIt would hit me that I was sharing in the experience of so many different relatives.” You can see the passion that Kevin has for ²έΑρΙηΗψ across the personal, familial and professional spheres of his life. He summed it up best in his 2015 blog post, A Motto to Take to Heart: β€œwhat I hold as important to me, starts in small moments, and they all bring me back to ²έΑρΙηΗψ.”

Kevin has spent his time as a Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD) staying involved and giving back to the ²έΑρΙηΗψ community. He worked at ²έΑρΙηΗψ, was a member of the Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB) and served on the Class of 2011 Reunion Committee this past Fall. As he gears up for Homecoming 2022, he had some advice to share with those preparing for their own reunions: β€œTry to invite everybody on an individual basis because that direct invite means a lot to people that were so formative in your life.” Join Kevin back on campus for Homecoming on October 7, 8 and 9, 2022.