Hi! I am Olivia Woodring. I have been attending Harley since fourth grade and have had a wonderful experience throughout all my years here. Seeing others’ ambitions and goals has truly inspired me to learn new things and build upon my own interests. I love reading, writing, art, and building things. A fun fact many people may not know about me is that I have had a love for the written word my entire life. My earliest memory of this passion was when I was just starting kindergarten, sitting in the church pews every Sunday, and circling words inside the church programs that I didn’t know. After the service, I would go over all the words I didn’t know with my mom, and she would teach them to me. This was how I learned to read, and I did it until the programs had no marks in them. I was always wanting to learn more, read more, and write my own stories. I would also illustrate pictures to go along with every story I wrote. Harley only fostered this passion of mine even more, helping me to discover new writing styles, authors, and forms of art through classes and various electives. All the technological and creative outlets I was offered at Harley have only pushed me to work harder towards my big dream/life goal: working for corporate Disney. This has been my dream since I can remember. I would wake up early every morning before kindergarten just so I could watch the Walt Disney World vacation planning video that came in the mail. Instead of Spongebob, this was the type of stuff I chose to watch in my free time, and I would watch it over and over. I still have some of the words memorized to this day. I saw how much joy Disney brought to people, and how creative of an environment it was. Being the very goal-oriented person I am, I set my mind on working hard to get a job there one day, and I will never let go of that goal until I reach it. I hope to specifically work on public relations or some form of advertising and design for Disney, combining my love for art and writing. Without Harley, I wouldn’t have known this was the career path I wanted to go down. I have been offered so many amazing opportunities and experiences, like making art and being an intern for Harley’s communications team, which have helped grow my passions. I will be attending Penn State University in fall 2021, studying Advertising and Public Relations at the Bellisario College of Communications. I am eager to start, but will miss Harley. Yes, Penn State is drastically different in size from Harley, and it will take some adjusting, but the connections I have made with teachers and peers at Harley has only prepared me to make other connections in the future, no matter what size community I am in. I couldn’t be where I am today without my loved ones, friends, and Harley family. I will be moving closer to my dreams, goals, and passions, but will always have Harley and its people in my heart. I am eternally grateful.