The Activist
While attending UAA, Olivia Pidgeon discovered a fondness for cats. She has two cats, one a gift from a friend. Sitting in her living room, her cats bat for her attention and she smiles at them gently, picks one up and kisses his head. She looks out the window with a far away look in her eye.
Energetic, eccentric and passionate, Olivia is originally from “a little cow-town outside of Seattle.” Born to a political family, Olivia’s father, former Washington state Attorney General Stephen Pidgeon, introduced her to politics at a young age. Olivia volunteered on her father’s campaign as well as several others prior to moving to Alaska. She considers herself a Libertarian.
Beyond politics, Olivia enjoys music. She plays a range of musical instruments, collects instruments and would love to be in a bluegrass band. She grew up as a ballerina dancing for the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company. Because of her rigorous ballet schedule she was homeschooled and attended a community college for a year, prior to moving to Alaska to attend UAA.
Olivia is a member of Alaska’s Messianic community. She explains her faith as being similar to Christianity with some influences from Judaism. She celebrates the seven Jewish feasts and Hanukah (she loves Hanukah) and the Sabbath. She has only met one student at UAA who shares her faith but has found a strong community of Messianic Jews in Alaska online.
Staying in Alaska is a short-term plan, for now. Olivia hopes to travel Europe with her brother after she graduates, come back to Alaska, earn some money and then go to Israel to complete her graduate studies. Olivia is interested in the Middle East and looks forward to visiting.