When presented with a choice of language to study in high school, Olivia chose the road less traveled by studying Italian. Then, as a student at Amherst College, she literally went the extra mile to continue learning the language, since Italian was not offered at Amherst, but it was at nearby UMASS Amherst. When she arrived in Siena for her semester abroad in January 2020, she quickly acclimated to life in Italy and made plans to see as much of Europe as she could before the semester ended. When she had to leave suddenly due to COVID, she “accidentally” left one of her suitcases at the school in Siena so she could justify returning as soon as it was safe. During Olivia’s senior year, when Amherst welcomed students back to campus, she served as a Community Advisor for her dorm, and worked hard to establish camaraderie among her residents, while also keeping them safe. Olivia is an alum of Putney programs herself, and looks forward to showing students her favorite spots she discovered while living in Siena.
