Born in Italy and raised in London, Olivia Grandi is a current JCU student majoring in Psychology. She is also on the Lady Gladiators soccer team and frequently travels for matches. She recently presented at the Feminist Futures event at JCU.
Tell us a bit about your background. How did you end up coming to JCU? Has it lived up to your expectations?
I was born here in Rome, but I grew up in London for my whole life until I was 18. After graduating, I took a gap year. I went to Sardinia, which is where my mom is from. I wanted to spend time with my family.
I always thought about coming back to live in Rome for a couple years, but I never imagined coming here for university. When I found out that my cousin was going to start at JCU, I thought it sounded like a cool idea and decided to apply.
There were some things that I hadn't expected to see at JCU, but it turned out to be a good thing. For example, I thought there would be a lot more American students here. I am happy to see people from all over the world. I think it is better than I imagined.
How did you become interested in psychology? Are there any classes or professors that have had an impact on you?
Ever since I was little, I have been an avid reader. I always loved reading spy books, and I would walk around with a magnifying glass and a notebook. Because of this, I originally wanted to go into criminology. I decided to switch to something more behind the scenes.
Everyone's so incredibly supportive in anything that you do here at JCU, and I feel seen and heard. Classes are small, which is another reason why I enjoy this school. JCU is such a supportive community, and I really love it. I feel comfortable because there's no judgment between other people.
Professor Tara Keenan has had an impact on me. She's brilliant at what she does, and more than anything, she's passionate. The class I have with her is Introduction to Gender Studies.
Tell us about your involvement with the Feminist Futures event.
In February, the Gender and Queer Studies Working Group hosted the Feminist Futures event, which invited faculty and students to explore more about queer and feminist studies through presentations. Professor Keenan inspired me to participate. During my presentation, I talked about government and state control over women's bodies, abortion rights, and the overturning of Roe v Wade, as well as Angela Davis’s works and studies. It was a very engaging event because everyone was eager to ask questions and there were many professors there who were happy to help students out.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities here?
I am on the women's soccer team. I’ve traveled a lot with the team, which is nice because we get to see lots of different places, like Athens and Barcelona. It's such an amazing sense of community that I really missed when I was doing my gap year.It truly is such a great way to make friends. I have so much fun.
What are your plans for the future?
My plan is to start thinking about doing a master's. I was thinking about going to America for graduate school because my brother attends the University of Southern California, and it would be nice to be a bit closer to him.
