Her Story
About Olivia
I got involved in public policy and advocacy when I was in high school, and I've been passionate about it for about 3 to 4 years since graduating and going on to college. Over the last summer, I had an incredible experience working in Congress in the House of Representatives as an intern. The congressman I worked for had policy issues that aligned mostly with mine, especially around social policy and housing policy. I was able to do a lot of background research to help sponsor a bill for him relating to housing policy, which was a huge win for me. Growing up in public housing and having that experience, then channeling that into the work I did there, was probably the biggest thing for me. I think it's really important to give back - it's less about me and what I want, but more about the impact that I have and giving back to communities or giving back to the experience that I dealt with and trying to champion stuff like that. I'm also an Answer the Call ambassador, which is part of a national organization called Across the Aisle, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that teaches young Americans and students how to think for themselves, how to lead, and tackle the nation's biggest issues around fiscal policy like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and student loans. In my role, I help recruit other students from around the country and specifically from my university into the program so they can learn about nonpartisan issues and get professional development opportunities to advance themselves professionally as young students wanting to work in policy or on Capitol Hill.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Olivia
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the greatest pieces of advice I've received is that confidence is key. Especially being such a young person, being in college, and even just going through high school, oftentimes you find young people aren't really confident in themselves for millions of reasons. But I think that's one of the greatest pieces of advice - even like a fake it till you make it approach. Even if you're not confident in yourself, at least fake it, and then that'll come later. But as long as you have put yourself out there, I think that's the biggest thing.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I definitely say to be yourself, and truly invest in yourself, and don't hold yourself back. I feel like oftentimes, young people like myself are usually counted out of the conversations, whether that could be in any field, and also just feel like they don't really have anything valuable to bring to the table. But I feel like everyone, in their own way, especially being a student, has so much experience. You can base it off your childhood and your upbringing, and you have so many unique experiences to bring to the table and in the work that you're doing. So really just invest in yourself, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there, because that's what gets you the opportunities, rather than being shy or reserved. Just putting yourself out there, networking, and getting to know other people.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I definitely say empathy is a big one. I feel like no matter what sector or what career you're working in, it's good to have empathy, because a lot of them just deal with public service and stuff like that, and so oftentimes you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes. But I'd say a big thing is just being caring, loving, and being happy. I feel like that's really where the winning is, and that's really where the prize is. You can do work, but you can kind of just be tired of it and not really make much of an impact, or just kind of tired of it, not really enjoying it. But if you are happy and you are caring and just taking care of yourself, I feel like that really adds to that.
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