INDIANAPOLIS — When Olivia (Libby) Walker was a high schooler working as a waitress at Deb and Donna’s Diner, she learned plenty about hard work, life and politics.
There was an area at the diner known as the “liars’ table,” where people sat all day and discussed politics. One best not approach the table, Walker said, unless they really want to learn about what is going on in the world.
“It was just a great way to connect with the community,” Walker said.
Walker, 21, of Pendleton is a recent graduate of Indiana State University, where she earned a degree in political science and a minor in legal studies. She was selected by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb as one of four 2017-18 Governor’s Fellows and credits her family, and friends at Deb and Donna’s, with helping guide her.
The Governor’s Fellowship is a year-long program for young men and women who have an interest in serving in state government. Fellows are full-time paid employees who serve at various state agencies on a rotating basis during the course of a year and learn first-hand how policy is made and implemented, according to a state press release on the program.
Walker applied for the fellowship in May; the application included an essay, five letters of recommendation and a resume. The top candidates were interviewed, and winners were announced earlier this month.
Walker was home-schooled for most of her education before attending North Point High School.
She credits her time working at the diner as instrumental in helping her figure out what she wanted to study in college.
There was always someone discussing politics, trying to figure out how to fix all the issues of the state, country and world, she said. Those discussions helped her realize she wanted to be a part of the answers on a larger scale.
While in college, Walker worked as an intern in the Terre Haute City Clerk’s Office, with the Eric Holcomb for Indiana campaign and with the Indianapolis law firm Cogswell & Associates.
Walker was also an active college student as a residential assistant for the political science living community and a supplemental instructor for a leadership, ethics and democracy class.
She also served as the marketing manager for the Sycamore yearbook at Indiana State University.
In an email to The Times-Post, one of her professors, Samory Rashid, described Walker as one of the best students in the school’s political science program. He said she was one of the brightest students he worked with in nearly three decades as a professor.
Rashid, a former fellowship award recipient from Northwestern University, wrote that Walker is sharp, articulate, serious, focused, hard-working and determined with highly developed leadership skills. He said she also is easy to work with, well-liked by students and faculty, and is a person who is most likely to succeed.
As a fellow, Walker will work for a year at various state agencies. Her goal is to remain in politics and work for the state once the fellowship is complete.
Her first quarter will be spent in family and social services, an area that interests her. She said she hopes to work with at least two, maybe three other agencies, if schedules allow.
Walker will work in any department they ask her to, she said, knowing the fellowship is all about the experience.
“I know I’m getting the chance to take part in things so many other people do not get the chance to have,” she said. “I’ll be exposed to the best and the brightest our state has to offer.”
Being awarded the fellowship gave Walker a full-time job right out of college. However, once the year-long fellowship ends, she’ll be on the hunt for employment if she doesn’t land a position with the state.
Long term, she said she sees herself as a high school government teacher, but only after working in state government for at least a decade.
It’s been a busy couple of months for Walker, who graduated from college in May, and earned the fellowship this month; she also became engaged to be married on July 4, to fellow Indiana State University graduate and Pendleton resident Alec Rivera.