Class of ’26 Reflection: Olivia Townsend

Olivia Townsend is a senior in the Caldwell Fellows Class of 2026 from Roxboro, North Carolina and a M.A. student studying History. She credits her small, rural hometown as the source of her love of history. For the foreseeable future, Olivia will be in graduate school, eventually ending with a Ph.D. in History so that she can become a professor who publishes research regarding marginalized communities.

Looking Back

Looking back on sophomore seminar, Olivia remembers it as a foundational experience for both her and her cohort as a community builder. Thanks to the thoughtful and engaging discussions each week, always followed by group dinners at Fountain Dining Hall, the Class of 2026 grew closer to one another, all the while gaining a better understanding of the servant leader. “Backpack Medicine” was a reading that left a lasting impression on Olivia. Its emphasis on the importance of serving with intention and humility rather than for personal gain struck her early in her journey. The idea of serving communities based on their actual needs, rather than your assumptions of what they need, became foundational to her leadership approach. This concept is especially important for someone in Olivia’s line of work. “Working with, learning, and writing about communities of which I am not a part of comes with an obligation of ownership and acknowledgement.”

Working with, learning, and writing about communities of which I am not a part of comes with an obligation of ownership and acknowledgement.

Out of the many high-impact experiences Olivia has participated in, her time studying abroad in Florence stands out. Immersed in Italian culture and history, Olivia and two other Caldwells decided to take the experience even further by extending their stay in Europe. They traveled through Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, expanding their global perspectives. This forced her out of her comfort zone, in turn pushing her further as an individual. Olivia sees high-impact experiences like these as evidence that “diversity of thought comes from diversity of opportunity.” Without the experiential learning grants provided by the Caldwell program, she would have never have been exposed to such rich culture and history, and without that exposure she wouldn’t have developed quite the same.

Looking Inward

Every interaction with anyone in Caldwell taught me something about myself.

Olivia sees every single experience in the program as one that brought her closer to her authentic self. While all of the programmatic components of the Caldwell Fellows have been invaluable to her growth, she points to the everyday interactions with the other Fellows as where she learned the most. “It was grabbing coffee with Juan, having deep conversations with Landon, reflecting on Wilderness with Megan, philosophizing over life with Caden, joking around with Elena and Lainey, and hanging out with Katharine. Every interaction with anyone in Caldwell taught me something about myself.” These relationships helped her survive college and opened her eyes to new, diverse perspectives.

Principled reflection is a core tenet of what it means to be a Caldwell. “We talk about reflection so much, it has become a bit of a running joke. ‘I don’t know what I want for dinner.’ ‘Well you should really reflect on that.’” Despite their jokes, the fellows recognize the importance of this introspection. In fact, it is something Olivia has worked on over the years. As someone with strong emotions, she can lose herself so much in how she is feeling that she misses the ultimate point of the moment. During her Wilderness trip to Sierra Nevada, for instance, discomforts like the extreme cold and lack of beds and showers were hard to overlook. Things were tough and it was certainly no walk in the park. It was only once she sat herself next to a pond, alone with her notebook, that she set aside how badly everyone smelled and how much she yearned for a warm bed and instead reflected on how far the trip had pushed her. Principled reflection reminded her of the relationships she’d forged, the fun they’d had bonding with one another, and the expansion of her emotional, physical, and mental limitations. 

Remaining true to yourself is still important when soaking in so many diverse perspectives. Olivia’s reflection allows her to stay rooted as well. She takes into account how experiences make her feel, what they teach her, and how she can apply them moving forward, but at the same time she balances this with her own steadfast values. There is a fine line between losing yourself to the influence of others and knowing that you don’t know everything. “Comfort can be confining, remaining open to change is a way to grow as an individual. However, you cannot let every person or experience alter your authenticity.”

Comfort can be confining, remaining open to change is a way to grow as an individual. However, you cannot let every person or experience alter your authenticity.

Looking Forward

When she thinks about people who exemplify the idea of being “Rooted in Leadership,” her professor and advisor Dr. Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway comes to mind. Dr. Dillahunt is a history professor, but Olivia sees him primarily as an advocate and community leader. He remains dedicated to his community in all of his interactions, serving those around him and instilling these strong values in his students and mentees. She hopes to emulate Dr. Dillahunt in her own journey as a servant leader and professor.

When people feel seen and heard, it creates the foundation for meaningful connections.

As she looks out to her future, Olivia plans to seek out communities and people, like Dr. Dillahunt, who are similar to the fellows by being intentional in her encounters with others. She sees vulnerability at the core of authenticity and intends to keep that in mind in all of her walks of life. Whether it is in the classroom or in community settings, making sure others feel seen and heard will be the priority of her interactions. “When people feel seen and heard, it creates the foundation for meaningful connections.” At the end of the day, Olivia just wants to contribute to something bigger than herself. She never ceases to amaze us, and we know that will continue to make us proud.