Eighth-grader Olivia Hensh has kept busy during her time as a student at Saint Mary School, Williamstown, participating in the student council, student ambassador program, yearbook committee and TV news crew, to name a few.
This past summer, she added another activity to her resume – representing her school at the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., part of the Envision by WorldStrides family of programs.
Hensh was nominated by one of her teachers, Tonya Riggins, and she received unanimous support from the rest of her middle school teachers. Her nomination was based on artistic merit, academic achievement, maturity and leadership qualities like respect and responsibility.
“My art teacher nominated me, and I thought it would be really cool,” Hensh said. “I had never been to Washington, D.C., before.”
Already a talented artist at the age of 13, Hensh and her mother launched an online shop where customers could purchase digital versions of some of her paintings and oil pastel drawings – which helped her raise $3,000 to support her participation in the conference, which draws seventh- and eighth-grade students from across the country. Hensh joined peers for the six-day academy and career development program in the nation’s capitol.
While she arrived at the conference not knowing anyone, that changed quickly. “After a half-hour, we were best friends,” she said of her fellow participants, adding that she still keeps in touch with many of them – some living as far away as Hawaii and New Orleans. “We try to talk as much as we can.”
While the conference drew more than 300 youth, Hensh was part of a group of 17 peers who worked together throughout the experience. One of their projects involved picking topics and presenting to other groups – and her focus was on bullying.
It didn’t take her long to put what she learned to use. Just a couple of weeks after returning home, while participating in theater camp, she saw an instance of bullying and stepped in.
“One kid was getting bullied, and after I went to that leadership program, I recognized that and I helped him out,” she said. “He became part of my and my friend’s group.”
Beyond her fond memories of seeing the White House and visiting the monuments – with her favorite being the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – she also walked away from the experience with something more. “I feel like I am a lot more confident,” she said.
Hensh continues to be actively involved in theater, having played major roles in five productions, and she has also played in multiple recreation sports leagues in her town, not to mention taking martial arts lessons for the past several years.
She has kept up with her busy schedule even amidst being diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago.
“At first, I went to doctors a lot,” said Hensh, who adds that those appointments, medical procedures and daily medications have helped get her epilepsy under control. “Now, I don’t really go as much.”
Looking forward, Hensh is hoping to be accepted into the Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Science Academy at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology. The selective program offers students the chance to earn an associate’s degree that would be accepted at Rowan University, Glassboro, for an accelerated degree program there.
Through all of her experiences, Hensh is grateful for her time at Saint Mary School.
“I am definitely a lot closer to God than if I went to public school,” she said, adding that she has developed leadership skills and has been able to identify interests for the future. “It helped me plan what I want to do.”
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