Olivia Webb

Meet Olivia Webb

Olivia Webb, the second of three sisters, was born in Cincinnati and has lived in Texas, Kentucky, and the Tennessee cities of Chattanooga, Knoxville, and her current home, Cleveland. The ETSU sophomore’s desire to help others has led her to her major of psychology and her service as a member of the Preview and Orientation Leaders Organization (POLO) and other organizations.

How did you find ETSU? 

I was actually coming back home from visiting another college campus, and as we passed through Johnson City, my mom said, “Why don’t we stop and check out ETSU since we’re already here?”  So we did, and it was a really nice campus, but since that was my junior year of high school, I never thought that in a few years I’d actually come back.  But when I came back to an open house when I was really looking at colleges, I appreciated the campus more and fell in love with the weather and the mountains.   

What have you enjoyed most about ETSU during your time here?

Honestly, I’ve enjoyed POLO and the opportunities it’s brought.  I’ve met so many people.  I’ve dealt with a lot of administrators and faculty I normally wouldn’t have met otherwise.

What are some other campus activities in which you’ve become involved?

I’m a member of Black Affairs Association, because on a campus where I am a minority, it’s important to show support for my community.  We do a lot of service activities in that organization, too, like volunteering on MLK Day and going to the Boys and Girls Club.  I was on the Homecoming Committee last semester, and helped host the Pep Rally at the end of the week, and the skit and dance events.  It was fun getting to work with all the different organizations on campus and the people who were on the Homecoming court.  Next year, I want to get involved with SGA in some capacity.

What led to your motivation to do these things?

As I was growing up, my parents always instilled in me the importance of serving my community in leadership roles, and I believe that’s why I’m so motivated to be a leader, along with being around my friends who are POLO leaders and have such good leadership skills.  Good leaders make you want to be a leader instead of a follower.

How did you choose your major of psychology and your minor of Africana studies?

The first semester of my freshman year, I was a nursing major, because I’ve always enjoyed and taken pride in helping people.  Nursing is an amazing field to go into to help people.  I took a few classes, and in women’s studies specifically, I found out that I still wanted to pursue helping people, but in a different way.  So I talked with my mom, different advisors and my friends and tried to figure out a major that would work best for me, with my personality and other attributes.  I came to psychology.  I get to help people, and I feel mental health isn’t as widely discussed or thought of when you think about helping others, but it is just as important.  My minor, Africana studies, can apply to all different fields.  I feel like minorities don’t participate and seek mental health as much as needed, so I’d like to change that and just do what I can for different communities and help them with their mental health.

What do you enjoy in your spare time?

I love reading.  I’m a Harry Potter super-fan.  Shopping is one of my guilty pleasures, and I enjoy hanging out with friends, listening to music, working out and running.  My family always goes hiking and camping, fishing, boating, and just enjoying the outdoors.  I like to travel a lot, so that’s something that’s important to me.  One of my most exciting trips was to Puerto Rico. Every time we go on vacation, we go on a food tour to enjoy authentic food, and on this trip, we went jet skiing, snorkeling and sightseeing. 

What is a “fun fact” about you?