Around the office you’ll find her oozing liquid sunshine out of every pore, asking smart questions and coming up with fresh new ideas. Olivia Patinkin was recently voted “most likely to get that EGOT” by her teammates.
As the Youth Engagement and Social Media Coordinator, Olivia works with the Adolescent Health Project and its youth-facing brand—Access Granted. She supports the Women’s Fund’s mission of addressing gender-based inequities in Nebraska and beyond through collaborative, people-first efforts.
Olivia graduated from Carleton College in June 2023 with a major in theater and a minor in gender, women’s and sexuality studies. Her passion while at Carleton was finding the intersection between these two fields in order to spark action.
Here’s a little bit more about our bubbly, joyful and brilliant Youth Engagement and Social Media Coordinator:
Q: How long have you been at the WFO?
OP: 2 years!
Q: Where are you from?
OP: Chicago, IL.
Q: Do you have any pets? What are their names?
OP: I have a puppy brother…my parents’ dog, Buster! He’s the cutest mini cavapoo in the world and I’m dying to get one of my own.
Q: What are your “big 3” astrology signs (moon/rising/sun)?
OP: Leo sun…don’t know the rest
Q: What is your Enneagram number? Or Meyers-Briggs? Etc?
OP: Enneagram = 3, Meyers-Briggs = ENFJ
Q: What are your top 5 favorite albums?
OP:
– Solar Power by Lorde (criminally underappreciated)
– HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish
– Folklore by Taylor Swift
– Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus
– Charm by Clairo
Q: What are your top 5 favorite movies?
OP:
– Pride & Prejudice (2005)
– Little Women (2019)
– Clueless
– Barbie
– My Old Ass
Q: Do you have a secret talent?
OP: I’m really good at Bananagrams.
Q: Give me two truths and a lie (and tell me which is which):
OP:
– I once had tea with the president of Iceland
– I played an extra in season 3 of Stranger Things, but my scene got cut
– I was on a first name basis with Kid Cudi when I was his daughter’s camp counselor
…2 is the lie.
Q: Do you have a moment that really galvanized your feminism?
OP: My parents raised my sisters and me as feminists, so there wasn’t a particular moment. It was always a part of me, and as I became more engaged with the news, I became more impassioned, studied and radical.
Q: Do you have a favorite Women’s Fund memory?
OP: Our staff lunches during the holiday season are always so fun and lovely!
Q: Can you share something funny or cringeworthy from your career?
OP: When I worked at a Theatre program a few years ago, there was a staff talent showcase for the students, and I joined a choreographed dance to a mash up of Evacuate the Dancefloor and Everytime We Touch by Cascada.
Q: How do you find joy or hope these days?
OP: I’m chronically online, so I have to remind myself to touch grass––literally, I like to walk barefoot on the grass! Feel the sun on my face. Someone at the Voices in Bloom Summit in July said they like to stand in front of their sprinklers and feel the mist kiss their skin, so I’ve been doing that, too!
Q: What are you currently reading/listening to?
OP: The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden
Q: What would be the title of your memoir?
OP: “Wait…I’m Confused”
(My family likes to call me #ConfusedOlivia)
Q: What’s an unpopular opinion you have?
OP: I looooove making the bed. If I don’t make it in the morning, I’ll make it before I get into it at night even though it’s just going to get unmade again. I love making the couch into a bed for guests. Sometimes when I’m staying with a friend, I’ll even tidy up their bed with some nice blankets, pillows, etc. It’s just so satisfying!!!
Also, I love getting into a hot car in the summer and having a minute of lizard time before I turn on the AC.