Olivia Adelabu ’22 was recently named as one of six statewide recipients of the Future Leaders Scholarship awarded by the Bay State Games. According to the release, the winners were chosen "based on their achievements and involvement in academics, community service, athletics, and leadership roles."
Her entry reads:
"Olivia Adelabu is from North Andover and is a senior at Pingree School. At Pingree, she competes on the track & field and volleyball teams. Olivia is captain of the track & field team, the school record holder in the high jump, 4x200m, and 200m, has competed in Bay State Games Track & Field for two years, and has been a Bay State Games Ambassador. She is the founder of the Banana Splits, a club for children from divorced families, and a member of the People of Color Coalition, the Student Equity and Inclusion Committee, and the Diversity Council. Olivia is also a poll worker during presidential elections and works to encourage others to register to vote and regularly volunteers at a homeless shelter. During the pandemic, Olivia provided cooking lessons over Zoom for young children in her church. She also made over 100 masks to ship to Louisiana. Olivia was also tasked with creating short stories and art projects to help young children who were just starting school during the pandemic to learn different ways to recognize emotion when everyone is wearing a mask. Olivia plans to study neuroscience and pursue her passion for social justice while also continuing to run track in college."
Mary Dyer, Liv's advisor, shared during our senior tribute event, "Olivia, your teachers describe you as an insightful student, remarkable artist and athlete, champion of equity and justice, and transformative leader in and out of the classroom. Your friends add that you're always there to help them and bring laughter to their lives. But my favorite description is the one you provided: pleasantly blunt. True, perhaps, but I prefer the words 'respectfully honest.' We need more of that, Liv. And my wish for you is that you keep speaking your truth, honoring who you are, and find others willing to do the same."
Liv placed first in the 200m event and the 4x1 relay with teammates Erica Dowd, Lexi Garcia, and Allie Donovan (along with setting a school record in this event!) and second in the 100m at this year's spring track New England Championships, where she was also named an All-New England athlete. She will attend Princeton University in the fall.