As people who live in a small town and attend an even smaller school, we may think we know everything about everyone. But the truth is, everyone has a chapter they don’t say out loud. We interviewed Olyvia Burrell so we all get to know her a little better.

“My name is Olyvia Burrell, I’m a junior.” She continues, “I do track and volleyball.”

Most of us already knew this, so we asked more questions about herself that she wanted to share. She continued to say how long she has been doing track and her family life.

“I’ve been doing track for 11 years and I have two siblings, I don’t know what else.”

Eleven whole years of a sport is pretty impressive, and who knew she had two siblings! Instead of getting too personal, we asked more school related questions, like something she learned from going to EHS, and her biggest challenge faced in her high school years.

“Just like, learning how to be close with everyone and like, knowing that these are the people you’re going to be with for the next 6 years.” She adds, “I think that COVID season starting freshman year and [taking classes] online was the biggest challenge [I] faced because I really wasn’t able to experience the whole high school experience.”

Going through COVID hit us all differently in 2020, so knowing how this affected Olyvia could have been different from anyone else’s experience.

We went back to the simpler questions, and asked her what her hobbies are. With a simple question comes a simple answer.

“I shop. I go shopping.”

Don’t we all love shopping?

We then asked a question that can have multiple answers for Olyvia: What is your biggest accomplishment?  She chose an answer that was special to her.

“My biggest accomplishment. It would have to be winning Athlete of the Year for New York for my club team. That has to be my biggest accomplishment.” She is talented!

Final question: What advice would you give to any student, no matter the grade level, to prepare for junior year?

“I would say to make sure you’re like having fun and like, involving yourself with sports and clubs. That’s how you make most of your friendships, honestly. And it’s really fun, not just being in school and going home right away, you can go to practice and make new friends.”

Thank you, Olyvia, for giving us the time to interview you, and get to know you better.