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Micah Odor '01

Major Communications
Favorite Course Rhetorical Thought and Theory with Dr. Jeff Myers
Favorite Professors Mr. Bernie Belisle and Dr. David Luther

   

If you are a recent Bryan graduate who has had to pay for that twentieth credit hour, you can blame Micah Odor.


The Odor Family on
the Cincinnati Hunger Walk
Micah came to Bryan in 1998, and graduated in 2001, by taking a "ridiculous course load," causing the 19-credit-hours-per-semester policy to be instituted. He also managed to have enough time to work as technical director for many of the shows and fine arts productions in Rudd and date one of his classmates. He chose a communications major to ensure that he had "an anchor in the real world."

After graduating, Micah moved to Las Vegas, Nev., and got a job on the Yucca Mountain Project. "It's an ongoing effort to develop a safe and secure geologic high-level radioactive waste repository on the Nevada Test Site," Micah explained. "I started as a comma-catcher (copy editor) and moved through five or six roles before ending up working as a project manager for some of our more technical documents. In the course of things I got to work on a lot of projects, including our license application and a science and engineering report that went to President Bush." His interaction with researchers on the project gave him a lot of knowledge in chemistry, engineering, and nuclear energy.

The Odors on vacation at Niagara Falls
Micah considers "project management" the number one job skill he took with him to Las Vegas. "Bryan taught me how to manage a whole project," Micah added. "I learned how to have an eye for detail, to think on my feet, and put a good sentence together."

During his four years in Las Vegas, Micah returned to Tennessee to propose to his girlfriend, Judith Toliver, at a Bryan homecoming. She said “yes”; and in 2005, the newly married Odors moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Micah started seminary which had been his goal since before he went to college.

Having a non-church career for five years before attending seminary trained Micah in being a part of an organization and interacting with co-workers. "It gave me a better appreciation of my congregation and an understanding of what life outside church looks like," Micah said. Although he originally planned to focus only on seminary, he became a pastor at Vineyard Community Church by the end of his first semester.

Micah after he baptized one of the students
from his young adult ministry The Lift





 
Today, his primary areas of ministry are overseeing small groups and managing The Lift, a young-adult ministry." I build, train, recruit, and shepherd small group leaders," Micah explained. "I am loving life. My dreams were smaller than the stuff I'm doing."

In addition to seminary and working as a pastor, Micah keeps his hands full with his two young children, Jenna and Liam. Although Micah does not know what life holds for him and his family once he graduates from seminary, he knows that he will remain focused on his three goals for life: a great relationship with God, a great family, and a significant role in the kingdom.