Olivia De Paola

UConn School of Nursing

I was born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in Richmond, Virginia, and Salt Point, New York. I will earn my Bachelor of Science in nursing from UConn in 2023.

I have volunteered with Global Leadership Adventures, the Appalachia Service Project, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Webster House Homeless Shelter, and the Clover Project. I have worked for Gold Star Gymnastics, UConn Union Street Market, and UConn Student Health and Wellness, where I presently work.

The ethos of the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program embodies why I decided to become a nurse. The program combines a rigorous academic curriculum with the inculcation of compassion for and understanding of underserved communities. Every community a medical professional serves must be understood in its own specificity; the UST/AS Program’s emphasis on cultural competence and communication helps its alumni gain this understanding. Growing up, I frequently had to act as a caregiver for my siblings. I hope my time with the UST/AS Program allows me to combine compassion with cultural understanding in order to augment my power to act at the level of the entire community, rather than just that of my immediate family. The United States is a very powerful country, yet many of its citizens still struggle to access basic health care and suffer the atomizing social stigma around requiring care and assistance. I hope that I can be part of a socio-medical shift towards more people gaining access to health care and health care education.