“Hi, I’m Olivia and here is my story.

“I left school at 16 due to struggles with my mental health. The one thing I found helped me through this time was my love of sport.

“In November 2016, I was selected to be part of The Rickshaw Challenge by The One Show. This challenged a team of six riders to cycle across Britain’s East Coast from Jedburgh to London, covering 470 miles in aid of Children in Need. The team was made up of people from both the hearing and deaf communities. As a team, we raised £3.8 million in just eight days.

“I was then selected for Great British Deaf Women’s Football Club and went to Deaflympics in Turkey for the 23rd Summer Deaflympics. This competition is for top-level deaf athletes, so I was truly honoured to be part of this team and represent Scotland.

“In 2018, I was chosen from 156 applicants to be part of the Young People’s Sport Panel (YPSP) led by Sport Scotland and supported by Young Scot. YPSP provides a national platform to represent a voice for young people from across from Scotland to influence and shape the future of sport in Scotland.

I applied for City of Glasgow College as I was keen to gain a deeper knowledge of sport, and learn the fundamentals of sports coaching, a career I want to pursue in the future. As a deaf student, there is lots of support available at the college. The staff are kind and friendly, and have shown me support throughout my time here.

Throughout my life I’ve felt that people have made assumptions about me due to me being deaf, however, I’ve challenged these stereotypes and I’m delighted that I was selected for and won the Jock Young Award for being an inspiring role model for Deaf Sport in Scotland.  

I’m grateful for the opportunities my sporting career has provided. It has given me the confidence and determination and has made me the person I am today.”