February 24, 2023
Live Like Liv
When you ask family and friends of Olivia Peters what her experience as a Gamecock was like, a consistent motif is that of her community. Her sisters in Greek Life. Her love of Carolina football. Her roommates and peers.
Peters is a 2014 graduate of the Arnold School of Public Health, receiving her Bachelors in Exercise Science with honors. She continued her education at Shenandoah University, graduating in 2018 to become a Board-Certified Occupational Therapist specializing in pediatrics. Olivia’s love for treating young children in a natural environment and watching their skills translate in real time was her passion — a major factor in her creation of two Occupational Therapy companies named Seeds of Success and OSP Pediatric Therapy Group.
On December 23, 2021 Peters died in a tragic car accident in Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family created a GoFundMe fundraiser to continue her life’s work and vision. The Olivia S. Peters Pediatric Therapy Foundation, to date, has raised over $170,000 to benefit underprivileged youth and pediatric therapists following in Peters’ footsteps.
A statement from the family reads in part: “Liv’s love for treating young children in a natural environment and watching their skills translate in real time was her passion. Liv’s other passions were exploring the outdoors, being a kind and caring friend to more people than can be counted and to live each day to its fullest!” They also created the “Live Like Liv” challenge — an Instagram page and hashtag where hundreds of people have submitted photos and videos of themselves wearing lavender Live Like Liv bracelets while they live like she did – to the fullest.
A native of Rockville, Maryland, Peters’ alma mater Our Lady of Good Counsel High School grants the Olivia Peters ’10 Memorial Endowed Scholarship to support current students who demonstrate financial need and a heart for service to those with special needs. In the wake of tragedy, Olivia Peters’ passion carries on.
The next time you walk around on the Horseshoe, take a look down. Among the engraved bricks lies one that reads “LIVE LIKE LIV, Olivia S. Peters, 2014.” This memorial not only serves as a reminder to the USC community of what was lost — it celebrates a resiliency through hardship, encourages being one’s authentic self, and serves as a motivation to excel. It’s reminder for us to live like Liv.
Charitable donations can be made to the Olivia S. Peters Pediatric Therapy Foundation and mailed to:
Olivia S. Peters Pediatric Therapy Foundation
2217 Ocean Point Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
Or through GoFundMe.
Forever To Thee.
