Oliver Herndon

Oliver (Ollie) is from Hershey High School and was nominated by Shari Taylor-Stuckey.

Prior to moving to Hershey, PA, Ollie lived in an up-scale suburb of Pittsburgh. In 2012, Ollie’s world came crashing down when his family was held at gunpoint by a man demanding drug money. Two weeks later, a close family member was arrested and Ollie’s family lost everything – their home, their “friends,” and their possessions. To escape from Pittsburgh, they moved to Hershey where Ollie’s grandfather lived. Ollie, his mother, and 4 siblings had to start a brand new life. Ollie began to withdraw from everyone and everything he had once cherished. His grades dropped and he even quit Boy Scouts, an activity he loved. Ollie has stated that this was the most devastating event of his life.

Ollie had to make a decision regarding the trajectory of his life: was he going to let his situation define him as a person or was he going to make something of himself? Since he moved to Hershey, a new place where no one knew him or what had happened to his family, he decided to start over. He sought out a Boy Scout troop and rejoined. He has become an Eagle Scout and a mentor to younger scouts. Additionally, he enrolled in music classes and became a member of the band. As a result, he has become passionate about music and feels as if he has found a family within his group of band friends. Ollie is enrolled in Honors and AP courses, is a member of the National Honor Society, and is this month’s male recipient of Hershey High School’s Student of the Month.

Ollie plans to attend Bucknell University this fall followed by law school where he will aspire to be a judge one day. Congratulations, Ollie!