Portraits of Strength & Hope: Dr. Camilo Giraldo

Dr. Camilo Giraldo '13

Camilo Giraldo came to the United States in 2010 from Medellin, Colombia, South America, but he wasn't planning to go to Bourbonnais, Illinois. God had a different plan for him.

When he joined the Olivet Nazarene University Tigers tennis team and enrolled as a student, Camilo immediately knew he was in the right place. His passions were tennis and engineering, and God provided him with a scholarship so he could pursue both.

"Because of Coach Andy Gibbs and my teammates, I quickly realized I was in a healthy community where people genuinely cared about me," Camilo says. "That was the spark I needed to grow personally, spiritually, academically and as an athlete."

Camilo's favorite ONU memory is meeting Katelynn (Sondlein) '15 and working together on her Spanish homework. They married in 2016, while he was in graduate school.

Camilo credits ONU's Dr. Ken Johnson and Dr. Joseph Schroeder with encouraging him to pursue a career in university teaching and scholarship. In 2021, Camilo earned his PhD degree from The University of Kansas. As part of his doctoral research, he developed a vibratory mat that has the potential to improve balance for humans with loss of sensation in their feet. He joined the ONU faculty in spring 2021.

In 2022, God opened a new opportunity for Camilo at Messiah University in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As an assistant professor of engineering, he has already led student teams to serve in Kenya and Nepal.

Camilo and Katelynn live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and are members of Midtown Community Church. In 2024, they welcomed their first child, Joanna.

Learn more about how you can become part of Olivet's mission for many years to come. Contact campaign director Susan Wolff at [email protected] or call 815-928-5776 to schedule an appointment with a member of our team.