We CU Spotlight: Meet Olivia Hagedorn

10/27/2021 12:27:16 PM

Meet Olivia Hagedorn - the newest member of the We CU team! Olivia serves as We CU’s humanities student support coordinator. She helps students navigate service by answering questions and offering guidance on matters related to event registration and service projects. She also helps with info sessions and managing the We CU GivePulse group. Olivia is also developing a scholarship program to make service and volunteering accessible to students who have been historically excluded from service learning programs, including Black, Indigenous, students of color, and first-generation students.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a Ph.D. candidate in history and gender and women’s studies. I study the history of Black women’s civil rights activism in the Midwest. I am originally from southern Indiana and completed my undergraduate degree at Purdue University (Boiler Up!). I enjoy baking, cooking, hiking, gardening, and embroidering on my days off.

What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about cooking, food justice, and access to nutritious food for all peoples, regardless of location, race, or class status. I have been an avid community gardener since undergrad, and I believe equal and affordable access to healthy food is a human right.

If you could have coffee or tea with anyone, who would it be and why?
I would LOVE to have high tea with Mary Berry, former judge of The Great British Bake Off! I want to try her Victoria Sandwich Cake and learn the inside scoop about what goes on inside the Bake Off tent.

Do you have any advice for We CU students?
Learning doesn’t just happen inside the walls of your classrooms! Make the most of your service by taking the time to get to know the community partners with whom you’re working. They are experts in their fields, and they have a lot of knowledge and expertise to share!