Olivia Huynh is a rising senior at Boston Latin School. As a child of Vietnamese immigrants and a proud resident of Dorchester, MA, she has spent her entire life surrounded by her neighborhood’s vibrant diversity and culture.
Growing up in Dorchester’s tight-knit district allowed Olivia to understand the importance of community and unity. She began volunteering for different local nonprofits such as Boston Little Saigon, NOVA Boston, Chinatown Main Street, the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association (New England IVSA) and Vietnamese American Community of Massachusetts’s (VACM). It was these experiences that further sparked Olivia’s interest in serving others.
At BLS, Olivia extends her passion for community building to her extracurricular leadership roles. As the co-president of the BLS Vietnamese Students Society, she regularly oversees and delegates tasks to her fellow officers. Through her responsibilities, she works hard to fulfill the club’s mission statement of spreading Vietnamese culture and fostering a safe space for Vietnamese students. Additionally, her role as the co-president of BLS Breakers allows her to form close bonds with her fellow breakers through teaching, dance, and socializing in their supportive environment. Both inside and outside of school, Olivia also enjoys engaging in nuanced discussions, whether that be about history, politics, or film and media.
Olivia’s interest in public service was a culmination of her leadership experiences, her local involvement, and her desire to support her community on a larger scale. After spending so much time in her neighborhood, she noticed the resource disparity and general lack of support that underrepresented backgrounds often faced, an issue especially prevalent within immigrant families. After working with nonprofit organizations as a valuable first step, Olivia believes that branching into government initiatives can expand the impact of combating these struggles. As an intern for Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune this summer, Olivia will take the opportunity to continue advocating for her community and the resources that they deserve.