Building Relationships with Olivia Cotton

Olivia Cotton’s college work-study job gave her the key to what she wanted to do in life.

When Olivia left her hometown of Amherst, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, for college at nearby Baldwin Wallace University, her future career was a mystery. She chose a major in communications and found a work-study job at the University Advancement office. “That’s how I caught the bug. I learned pretty early on that this is what I wanted to do,” she said. She enjoyed many of the behind-the-scenes parts of advancement work, such as updating records and setting up events, so she joined the student arm of the Advancement office, Student Ambassadors.

“I really loved getting to talk with the alumni one on one, sharing my student experience.” That was the moment, she said, when she realized she’d found her profession. “I got to know a lot of the alumni who came to events, and I really loved that I got to build a relationship with them over time while I was a student.” She got more experience in event planning and relationship-building as a member of the university’s programming board for student events, and joined Phi Mu Fraternity. After graduation, Bowling Green State University’s higher education and student affairs master’s degree program was a natural fit.

Now Olivia comes to us after serving nearly three years as the College of Engineering’s assistant director of Young Alumni and Student Engagement. How does she like the College of Nursing? “I’ve loved it so far!” she said. “It’s a wonderful college to work for. Everybody’s been really friendly.”

When Olivia's not at work, you can find her at home with her calico cat, Miss Paula, or out exploring Columbus Metroparks. She still has roots in Cleveland (“Cleveland sports, all the way!” she said when asked whom she roots for), but loves her new home, Ohio State. Olivia has found a home for another one of her passions, singing, with the prestigious Choral Union at Capital University, where she’s been a soprano II for three years. “It’s been a great way to meet people,” she said, and was excited to go on the group’s 2019 national tour of the Netherlands. While the Choral Union was unable to practice together this spring, she enjoyed the regular Zoom meetings they held to keep in touch.

“Music is more than just making music and going home,” Olivia pointed out. “It’s about building relationships.”