Some stories fold neatly back on themselves, like a circle that closes where it began. For Alexia Ulses and Olivia Johnson, that circle begins in the classrooms of German Valley Grade School and Forreston schools, where they once sat as students. Today, both young women find themselves standing at the front of those same kinds of classrooms—this time as teachers.

Both Alexia and Olivia are proud alumni of the Cardinal system, raised in a small-town setting where everyone knew everyone else. “I think we had 69 kids in my graduating class,” Alexia recalls. Olivia’s was even smaller. That intimacy is exactly what makes teaching here so special. “You’re comfortable talking to people, asking questions,” Olivia says. “Even in just a couple weeks here, I’ve already built so many connections with staff. It’s a strong community.”

Their paths to the classroom began in the same place: Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling. Both discovered their passion for teaching while working with preschoolers and elementary students through Whiteside’s early childhood education program. “That’s when I started seeing clearly that I wanted to work with kids,” Olivia explains. Alexia nods in agreement.

Now, Alexia teaches kindergarten at German Valley Elementary, while Olivia leads a preschool classroom just down the hall. Their roles carry a sense of weight and joy—laying the foundation for children who may just be recognizing their names for the first time or struggling with lockers in those early school days. “I want my students to leave loving school,” Alexia says. “That’s my goal each day.”

For Olivia, it’s the little milestones that matter most. “Just last week some of my kids couldn’t open their lockers. Now they’re coming to me all excited because they figured it out. It’s a good feeling knowing they’re learning something every day.”

There’s also a unique pride in teaching where they grew up. “This is the community that raised me, and now I get to give back,” Alexia reflects. “A lot of the same traditions and values are still present, and I hope we’re instilling those same values in the new generation.” Olivia adds that seeing her former teachers now as colleagues has been “very rewarding.”

The work, of course, isn’t just academic. Both women see the importance of modeling empathy and encouragement. “The best is when kids praise each other,” Alexia says. “That makes me so happy.” For Olivia, it’s the simple joy of walking down the hallway and hearing children she doesn’t even teach call out, “Hi, Ms. Johnson!”

And in a region where relationships run deep, where family and community are everything, teaching sometimes means guiding family, too. Alexia’s twin nephews are in Olivia’s preschool class. “It feels good knowing their teacher,” Alexia laughs. “I’m so happy it’s her.”

The setting itself only adds to the charm. German Valley Elementary sits tucked among cornfields, a small school where, as Alexia describes it, “I’m just happy when I get here. I know almost every kid in the building.”

When asked what advice they’d give their younger selves, both Alexia and Olivia admit they once thought they needed to leave their hometown behind. But life brought them back, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s okay to be proud of where you’re from,” Alexia says. Olivia echoes, “When they offered me the position here, I had no doubt I wanted to come back.”

Their story closes with the phrase emblazoned on T-shirts around town: “Always Sunny in the Valley.” For Alexia and Olivia, that’s not just a slogan—it’s a way of life, carried into every classroom, every morning greeting, every small triumph of a child learning something new.