Citing gymnastics as her true passion, Olivia was also a basketball and volleyball player, and snow skier. She was just 13 years old when she fell on her back while skiing with her family in Pennsylvania, resulting in a T12-L1 spinal cord injury leaving her completely paralyzed from the waist down. She said, “In an instant, everything became a battle, and I was trapped in a body I no longer recognized.” After months in hospitals and rehab centers, Liv returned home with a different teenage optimism and purpose.

She returned to school and was a National Honor Society student, earning multiple awards and was reinvigorated by adaptive tennis. She was co-president of the Creative Writing Club at her high school, led the school’s book club, tutored and mentored younger students, and was a member of the cheerleading team. Liv participated in AmpSurf New York’s adaptive kayaking and surfing clinics during summer breaks. She’s ready to engage in the next chapter of her journey at Clemson, where she’ll study psychology and human development and compete on the Tiger’s adaptive tennis team.