Alumni Spotlight: Olivia Palumbo

What do you think of college so far?
Honestly, college has not been very hard and I have no idea why – so many people around me are drowning. It has been sweet to be really prepared and ready. Coming from high school at Regents where it was really hard, I can easily sit down now and work and get the things done that I need to do.

What was something that has really helped you that you learned at Regents?
One of the lessons I most appreciated learning from Regents was how to genuinely enjoy what I’m doing. That goes so far in being able to carry me through a tough class. I remember my world history class senior year in high school where we were talking about all these abstract concepts and I had no idea what any of it was. But I learned to sit down and make it relatable to myself, to find a way to make it enjoyable. That was a skill I learned in high school and one that I am using in college, trying to engage with the material rather than just checking out.

There was a time when Plato was just not my thing and I would’ve done anything not to be learning about Plato because he was annoying when I was a ninth grader. But now when I hear people talking about Plato over there, it’s a conversation I want to jump into. I am thankful I learned to endure and find enjoyment in things that were hard and different.

How are you prepared differently than your friends?
I think the big thing is that college feels easy compared to high school. I know that could change. Another difference is that coming from such a small place and having to learn to talk to authority figures was super awesome because it is helping me approach my professors now. I can advocate for myself and it’s a skill that I learned in high school. They talk here a lot about making friends with your professors and that was something I already learned in high school.

Another way I’m different is being able to pick apart arguments and form them because we practiced that so much – that’s such a valuable thing in this culture. When is it a sound argument? When are we being fed fallacies? Because we are fed lies all the time.

Who was your most impactful teacher at Regents?
For sure my most impactful teacher was Mr. Webb. I loved having him so much. We had awesome discussions in class all the time. I also loved getting to talk with him about the Lord in breaks and in class. He made really abstract material relatable. I was really lucky to have him as a teacher.

Do you have any parting thoughts?
Obviously we didn’t have all the resources at Regents as the giant high schools some of my friends came from, but I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything.

Olivia is currently a sophomore at the University of Arkansas where she transferred after spending her freshman year at Baylor University. She is studying communications.