Amy Fallon is a long way from the Atlantic Ocean, but she already feels right at home in DeKalb.

The native New Englander was officially installed as the pastor of Northern Illinois University’s Grace Place this week after starting her service there at the beginning of the semester. Her 14-year career as a pastor has mostly been spent in the northeast, where she has lived for 47 of the 50 years of her life.

But she said the move to DeKalb is a blessing as it gives her an opportunity to return to campus ministry – an experience she greatly enjoyed at the University of Connecticut.