2025 Student Speaker
Jenni O’Connor M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Wanting to support others more deeply, she pursued her dream of becoming a counselor at NLU. Jenni is also a best-selling author of three books, a professional speaker, and a retired photographer who rediscovered her passion for photography through travel. A lifelong creative, she enjoys reading, crafting, and attending comic conventions and Renaissance Faires. Jenni would like to thank NLU for the opportunity to represent her graduating class as the Student Speaker; her professors and classmates for inspiring her to be the best counselor possible; her beautiful daughters, Sabrina and Eliana; her co-parent, Wade, for supporting her dreams and believing in her; and her service dog, Vader, who attended each class and will probably be subjected to an adorable tiny graduation hat.
Jenni O’Connor is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Based in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, she returned to academia in 2023 after over 20 years as a business owner. In her senior year of college, Jenni experienced a sudden decline in health and was diagnosed with multiple disabilities. She now occasionally uses mobility aids like a crutch or wheelchair. To stay active, Jenni began pole dancing and fell in love with it, going on to compete and win several medals. She opened her own aerial studio, now one of the top studios in the Chicago area. Through teaching, she observed how movement helped students cope with anxiety, depression, and trauma, sparking her interest in somatic work. She earned a somatic coaching certification and eventually began training coaches internationally.
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