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Teen of the Week: Parkersburg South senior Olivia Raber eager to make a difference

By Douglass Huxley 6 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Parkersburg South High School senior Olivia Raber has a passion for public service and making a difference in people's lives.

"I've been volunteering with various organizations since I was little," Raber said. "I thoroughly enjoy being able to make a difference in people's lives, whether it be big or small. It's one of my biggest motivators in life."

She has been involved in numerous school clubs and organizations throughout her four years at South and has held a number of positions within those including: class representative and voting member of Student Council her sophomore and senior year, she was a member of her sophomore class cabinet and elected President her junior year, she was the public relation head for Student Council her junior year and National Honor Society (NHS) Historian her sophomore into her junior year, where she now holds the office of President.

Raber said like most organizations the NHS has dwindled a bit since COVID and she has put a lot of focus there.

"I knew that I wanted to help build it back up and try and do a whole lot this year, raise money, do a lot of community service projects," Raber said. "That's allowed in my schedule, at least."

That schedule is always full for Raber as she is also involved in student government at the state level. She was elected president of the West Virginia Student Council her junior year and said she would have run for that position again this year if allowed but presidents can only serve one term.

Raber has also been spending a lot of her time with the Parkersburg South Theater Troupe that participated in a regional competition held at the school on Jan. 13.

"We found out our competition show, Brownstone 213, will be moving on to compete at the state level in March," Raber said.

She played the character of Roma, which she described as a "1970's hippie," and even created a costume for another actor. Which she said was something new for her.

"I was named part of the All Area Cast and got a Superior Costume Construction project rating," Raber said. "I was super happy about our show and my costume project moving on! I was also shocked that I was chosen for All Area Cast. Typically it's given to those in bigger roles."

Raber said she has been acting since a young age starting at the Actors Guild of Parkersburg. She said she has participated in over 20 productions both onstage and backstage over the years and that her favorite part was her first one playing Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird."

"It's so funny because the director, for the longest time she couldn't remember my name, so she just kept calling me Scout," Raber said. "And then she said it was really because I acted just like her and I didn't even realize it, but that one was truly my favorite play."

Raber is also part of theater at the state level where she is a West Virginia State Thespian Officer and a member of the International Thespian Student Leadership Council.

Raber extends her volunteering into the community where she has been an active volunteer of the Wood County Society most of her life. She said she helps with the yearly telethon and is a camp counselor for Camp Echo.

"I started that two years ago, and I've been lucky enough to be paired with the same girl. We're best friends," Raber said. "The relationships you start there, they just continue on forever. I truly think she's gonna be one of my good friends for the foreseeable future."

Raber said her plans for the future include going to college to major in pre-law, political science or international relations and political science.

"Because that covers all of my areas of interest, like the government and how we as humans interact with people on the political side of it all," Raber said. "It is so interesting to me."

She said she has been accepted into West Virginia Wesleyan but she is still looking into other schools. She said she does know she doesn't want to go too far away.

"I don't want to be near home, but I also don't want to be super far away because that's a scary thought," Raber said. "I'm very dependent on my mom. She's one of my best friends."

In her free time Raber said she enjoys playing with her two dogs, a St. Bernard/boxer mix named Airplane and a Boston terrier puppy named Sullivan, and getting into a good book. She said she has been reading a book for her English class on the Vietnam War called "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.

"And I feel like it just speaks to me and it's all I've been able to think about since we started reading it," Raber said. "It's super interesting."

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Parkersburg South High School senior Olivia Raber also wrote this week’s School of Thought column for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

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A Glance at Olivia Raber

* National Honor Society President her senior year

* National Honor Society Historian her sophomore into her junior year

* Class Representative and voting member for Student Council her sophomore and senior year

* Public Relation Head for Student Council her junior year

* Member of her sophomore class cabinet and elected President her junior year

*Member of the Parkersburg South Key Club

* President of the West Virginia Student Council her junior year

* Member of the Parkersburg Actors Guild since the age of 10 and was awarded the Eli Clark Award

* Member of the Parkersburg South Theater Troupe

* Is a West Virginia State Thespian Officer and a member of the International Thespian Student Leadership Council

* Participated in the West Virginia Governor's STEM Institute her freshman year

*Has been an active volunteer of the Wood County Society most of her life and a camp counselor for Camp Echo

* Works for the West Virginia Prevention Research Center's Youth Advisory Board

* Just started an internship with Angle 42, a PR and strategic communications firm out of Pittsburgh.

* Editor of the school newspaper and yearbook and has acted as the photographer for the yearbook the last three years

* Member of the Wood County 4-H Teen Leaders Program

* Won the Outstanding Citizen Award at the American Legion Auxiliary West Virginia Rhododendron Girls State

* Has a 4.667 grade point average

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