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Octavia Reese Huizenga
Park Forest, IL
Member of International Public Relations firm of GolinHarris, Chicago, IL
Blue Lake affiliation: Camper, 1990-1999; IYSO, 2000 and 2001
Major: Cello
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Imagine walking into a room and being introduced to the following accomplished group of women:
- A former Miss Michigan 2005 and Miss America 2006 contestant
· A member of one of the largest international public relations firms in the world
· A cellist with orchestral and solo performance experience
· A recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship
· A 2005 graduate Hope College, with a double Bachelors degree in French and Classics, and a minor in Music
· A happily-married mother of a beautiful nine-month-old son
· A visual artist working in watercolors, gouache, and mixed media who was commissioned to produce a major piece for the Holland, Michigan, Area Arts Council
· A student interested in pursuing advanced degrees in Journalism, Philology, and Linguistics with an eye towards a career at the United Nations
· A dancer trained in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, and gymnastics
An amazing and diversely talented group, but even more amazing is that the list above represents the achievements and dreams of one woman in her mid-twenties, Octavia Reese Huizenga.
Octavia has certainly received a great deal of notice for her tenure as Miss Michigan in 2005. In fact, her connection with that title was recently renewed. In late February 2008, she participated in a reunion for former Miss Michigans, held in Muskegon (whose Frauenthal Theater is the annual site for the Miss Michigan competitions) and staged partly in celebration of Miss Michigan 2007, Kirsten Haglund, being named Miss America 2008.
Having the talent, intelligence, and attractiveness required to be Miss Michigan is not all there is to know about Octavia. From her early childhood, her immersion in music, dance, and art has immeasurably enriched her life and continues to do so. Her attendance at Blue Lake for a number of consecutive summers gave her myriad opportunities to explore her artistic interests.
“I think my first summer at Blue Lake was after 4th or 5th grade,” Octavia remembers, “and after [that] summer, I went back every year until I was 18.” Usually majoring in cello, she also majored once in ballet and always took art as an elective. “Blue Lake was the highlight of my summers in Michigan. I loved the atmosphere and landscape, which inspired a number of my junior high sketches. Even when I revisit some of my crude sketches, the images take me back to hot summers and music echoing through the woods.”
 However, as with her participation in the arts, from an early age, her desire to reach out to others, regardless of the potential barriers of culture or language, began to define her vocational path. During her participation in the Miss Michigan and Miss America competitions, her platform of “Building Bridges through International Experiences” reflected a life-long interest in and passionate commitment to the idea that international relations can be fostered and improved by effective communication. Ms. Huizenga’s interest in linguistics, communications studies, and world cultures all feed into the pursuit of this ideal.
Among the earliest expressions of Octavia’s interest in the world beyond America’s borders were her two years (2000 and 2001) participating in Blue Lake’s International Youth Symphony Orchestra.
“[I]t was a key moment in my life,” says Octavia, “where I really defined who I was as a linguist and world cultures enthusiast. It made such an impression on my life to understand first hand how music, laughter, and smiles are really the world's only international languages. I had many host families who didn’t speak a lick of English, but we all hear the same music and internalize it with the same thoughts. And we all understand a smile.”
After touring with the IYSO, it seems that each event in Ms. Huizenga’s life led logically to the next, all in furtherance of her goal of working in the international relations field: a double Bachelors degree in French and Classics from Hope College; her participation in the Miss Michigan and Miss America competitions and the resulting opportunity to promote international communication; and her most recent step, her employment in the Consumer Brands Group at the Chicago-based international public relations firm, GolinHarris.
Ms. Huizenga is also the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. As a result of this award, she was to have spent 2005 and 2006 teaching in France. However, after winning the Miss Michigan competition in June 2005, her subsequent duties required that she set aside her teaching plans.
In the interview below, conducted via e-mail, Octavia Reese Huizenga looks back at her Blue Lake experiences, looks forward to the path she hopes her career will take, and reflects on marriage and motherhood.
Upbeat Editor: What has your participation in the arts meant to you and what role did Blue Lake play in it?
Octavia Reese Huizenga: The arts are so important to all of America's children. Studying any form of the arts instills a physical, intellectual, and spiritual discipline that cannot be developed by any other media. Studying music has also enhanced my math and language skills. These three subjects are so closely intertwined, studying one enriches another, and education is deepened because of the connection.
What are your overall impressions of your Blue Lake experience?
I LOVE BLUE LAKE! The best thing about the camp . . . is the lasting friendships made through summers. I still keep in touch with many friends from camp and tour. Julie VanKalker, a cabinmate from 1999, attended Hope College with me, and we played in orchestra together throughout college. She stood up in my wedding in 2006. My dear friends Amanda Bissell, Diana Knight, and Katie Cooper, are still close friends whom I see often (not often enough!). I could begin to name more people I camped and toured with, but the list is too long. I know these wonderful souls will be friends for life. My brother, Jim Reese (International Choral Ensemble 1996) married his ICE sweetheart, Nancy Higgins, and they have a beautiful family in Ohio. BLFAC initiates friendships that last a lifetime and memories that live forever.
When my father passed in 2004, my mother asked that donations be made to the camp in his name. I've promised myself and my dad that one day, when I can afford it, I will make financial contributions to the camp in his name, to encourage the beautiful environment the Stansells have created to support the arts in youth.
What led you to choose cello as the instrument you wanted to learn to play? Do you or did you play any others? Do you continue to play cello regularly?
My mom tells the story like this: when I was three years old, she took me to a Suzuki school. They took me in a room and five minutes later said, "Mrs. Reese, you have a cellist." She said, "What's that?" I've played the cello since, and it is more like an extension of my body. It's as natural and necessary to me as walking. I've always wanted to play piano. I always admired the way pianists and other instrumentalists who played piano could sight read. As a Suzuki child, I depended on my ears more than reading (which has enhanced my foreign language absorption abilities), but through summers at BLFAC, I quickly developed sight reading skills to compete with other accomplished sight-readers. I do play cello regularly at church and for my son at home. Occasionally, I play at weddings and other events, but when my son is older, I plan on joining a community orchestra.
You also mentioned that you studied ballet at Blue Lake. Did you take it as an elective or did you ever major in it?
I majored in ballet one summer, after I won my first "Outstanding Camper" Award-- I won two!-- that year I did one session of cello and one session of ballet. I have also been classically trained in ballet since I was two years old. Through high school and college, I took jazz, hip-hop, and gymnastic because I appreciate the physical discipline dancers require. I always took art as an elective. I'm also a visual artist. My media of choice are watercolor, gouache, and mixed media. I was commissioned in 2006 to create a 48 inch by 72 inch piece for a Black History Month exhibit at Holland Area Arts Council in Holland, Michigan.
Where did you go on your tours with the IYSO in 2000 and 2001? What are your lasting memories of those trips? Did your experiences have any influence on your choice of career?
In 2000 and 2001, we toured many towns in France, Germany, and Belgium. There are so many lasting memories: host families who treated me like family, breathtaking scenery from long trips on the tour bus, unforgettable churches where we performed. Most of all, I will remember the rounds upon rounds of applause from guests at our concerts, and seeing audience members' eyes glisten with tears in appreciation of music performed by young talented musicians.
My career is not clearly defined yet, because, while I am married and a mom, I'm still relatively young. But yes, my career preferences have definitely been shaped by touring [with the IYSO]. I have a passion for languages, having majored in French and studied German, Spanish, Japanese, Archaic Greek, and Coptic, all pursued seriously after my time on tour. The tours also planted a travel seed within me, and I studied and toured abroad four times during college.
After my time in PR, I do plan on pursuing a doctorate in linguistics, and hopefully taking that into more opportunities to represent America on an international level.
As Miss Michigan, you represented your state on a national stage. As a member of Blue Lake's International program for two years, you represented your country on an international stage. How did you feel about those responsibilities at the time? What do you think of them now?
I was thrilled to take up the responsibility of performing on an international stage with BLFAC. I love traveling, as well as learning and speaking languages.
Now, that I'm older, and seven (gasp!!) years removed from IYSO, I realized that my years on tour helped me define myself as a person. Those years were crucial to my point of view of our country and its own cultural identity, or often, identity crisis. I learned about those international languages, the need for America to emphasize second language education, and the timely and timeless necessity for America to enhance its global image. My whole life and life's passions were tremendously shaped by IYSO, and I continue to strive to represent our country on the international level and ameliorate global communication.
What did you learn from the experience of being Miss Michigan and competing in the Miss America pageant? What do you see as the benefits of participating in these programs?
I learned that there are many intelligent, talented, and beautiful young women in every corner of the US. While I have my unique platform and life story, there are hundreds of women across the nation that are working to better themselves through higher education, share their special talents with their communities, and inspire different audiences by sharing their individual platforms. The pageant has so many benefits, uniquely that contestants are required to have a platform issue statement, one goal that she is passionate about, to speak on, publicly, in an effort to increase awareness of a particular cause. For me, Blue Lake was an essential element in formulating my platform, “Building Bridges through International Experiences.” From my years on IYSO tour, I learned what it meant to be an ambassador and represent the US in the best way I could, while learning from my host families and new international friends. I am also a spokesperson for UNICEF, having partnered with them when I was Miss Michigan. UNICEF tied into my platform of extending cultural understanding and compassion through travel and international experience.
What are your duties with GolinHarris?
GolinHarris is one of the most successful PR agencies in the world. It won the 2007 PRWeek Large Agency of the Year Award, and the 2007 The Holmes Report Agency of the Year, among other honors, and recently placed 19th in Crain's Chicago Best Places to Work. The company has many focus groups, with three main disciplines in Consumer, Corporate, and Healthcare. I'm in the Consumer Brands Group, where we generate innovative ways to keep our clients connected with their customers and stimulate public interest in products. Some of my daily responsibilities include copy editing documents, drafting press and mat releases, brainstorming new marketing techniques, blog monitoring, and communicating with various media outlets.
In one of the articles related to your tenure as Miss Michigan, your stated career goal was to earn a doctorate of comparative philosophy and linguistics and become a United Nations diplomat. Is this still your goal? If so, how does your work with GolinHarris fit into the plan?
The degree is actually "philology" [the study of language through the understanding of its origins and usage] instead of philosophy, a common mistake. I am absolutely still interested in pursuing a degree in philology and linguistics and would not shy away from any opportunities that present themselves to lead me in the direction of working for the UN. My work with GolinHarris first introduced itself as an interesting avenue for me to use and develop my writing and communications skills after working on a Masters degree in Journalism at Columbia College Chicago.
I am a passionate believer that there is no time wasted in education, and one of the best forms of education is hands-on experience. Working in this award-winning agency allows me to understand the foundations and inner networking of our nation's corporate, marketing, and media relations world.
This experience can only enhance my resume when I am ready to pursue a doctorate and a career in international communications.
What other interests are you pursuing?
I spent the past winter holiday season working at Navy Pier as an actor during the Winter Wonderfest event. I was looking for new ways to branch out in Chicago, since I've only been here for about a year and a half and the first year of that I was pregnant! I hadn't had a chance to really explore the city and discover unique places for me to use my talents. I played a "gift box" at the Pier during the whole month of December, as a walk-around character, interacting with Pier visitors and improvising holiday scenes with other actors. I had the privilege of representing the Pier's Winter Wonderfest on the WGN morning show. It was a wonderful time for me to reach out into Chicago's fantastic network of actors.
You and your husband, Joseph, were married in 2006 and your son, Steven, will soon be a year old. What does marriage and motherhood add to your life?
EVERYTHING! I used to roll my eyes at women when they would say things like "my greatest accomplishment is being a mom!" But now that I am a mom, I really believe that to be true! I have never felt love and happiness deeper than when I look into the twinkling eyes of my son. He is a precious joy and the most important person in my life.
My husband is a close second! Through our marriage, I realized that finding a spouse isn’t a sappy romantic comedy like in movies we see on the weekends. A strong marriage, while full of love and affection, is based on the principle of teamwork and support.
My husband and I aren't just "lovebirds," but we are partners committed to each other, our son, and doing our best to use and develop our individual strengths to make an impression on the community around us. I have learned so much about giving from my husband, a 2006 MDiv graduate from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, who is the Director of Development at Roseland Christian Ministries on the south side of Chicago. He gives of himself every day to urban ministry, helping homeless and struggling families find comfort, security, and hope in the midst of adversity. We strive to use our gifts to serve our family, friends, community, and be continually enriched by learning from the world around us.
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