DECATUR, Ill. – Even as an elementary and middle school student, Olivia Swords always had an interest in government and politics. For one particular project, she researched the Illinois State Supreme Court and decided to write a letter to a member of the court and a founder of the Special Olympics, Anne M. Burke.
“When I was 12, I reached out to Justice Burke because I was really interested in her career as an attorney, her history of advocacy for those with special needs, and then her career on the Illinois Supreme Court,” Olivia said. “She responded and was very kind. I got to go to the courthouse, and she gave my parents and I a private tour. Learning about her career and experiences definitely sparked my interest in going into law.”
Now entering her senior year at Millikin University, Olivia is preparing to attend law school after graduating next spring. A Mount Zion, Ill. High School graduate Olivia has taken advantage of Millikin’s School of Arts & Sciences programs to best prepare her for that next step as a triple major in History, Philosophy (with a Pre-Law focus), and English (with a Professional Writing concentration).
“Law school definitely requires a lot of reading and writing, so I have tried to take coursework that will serve as the best preparation for the rigors of law school at the undergraduate level. Having three majors allows me to delve into each of my passions. I love to read, and I love to write. With history, I love the analytical and the research side of the subject,” Olivia said. “My English courses provide me with so much practice writing in a variety of genres and disciplines. And Philosophy doesn't teach you what to think; it teaches you how to think, which has been so beneficial and truly enriched my critical thinking skills. Philosophy might seem like an insular degree, but it applies to everything. I’ve used elements of my Philosophy education in my courses for my other majors, and they all work together well.”
Olivia has put those skills into practice during Moot Court competitions and has argued mock cases in the Illinois State Capitol, earning accolades the past two years. As a sophomore, Olivia was honored individually at the 2023 Model Illinois Government Moot Court Competition as the Most Outstanding Moot Court Attorney, which is the highest individual award given. At the 2024 competition, Olivia and her teammate, Millikin Political Science major Jadon Cox, won the Illinois state championship.
“At the final round held at the State Capitol building, we gave our oral arguments in front of a panel of seven judges who asked many questions from all different angles on our case,” she said. “When we found out we had won, it was very exciting because Millikin had not won the overall championship since I had been a student here. While I was excited to win the award after all of our hard work preparing, I was even more excited about winning it for Millikin than winning it for us personally.”
This summer, Olivia is sharing her courtroom experience with high school students at Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn.
“I will serve as a team advisor for high school students in the Law and Advocacy Summer Program. I will lead them through a mock trial and teach them all the rules and regulations of criminal trial procedure,” she said. “We will be working with a professor at Yale Law School to give the students an idea of what a legal education at a top law school looks like. We will also discuss the importance of being an advocate and using your voice to enact change in the world, and we are bringing in attorneys and an exoneree from the Innocence Project to share their experiences with the students.”
Olivia’s Moot Court honor was the first of several awards she has won in 2024, as she received six awards at the annual Millikin Honors Convocation ceremony, which celebrates student and faculty achievements. Along with adding individual awards in each of her fields of study, Olivia was one of eight students who received the Scovill Prize, the highest honor given to students, and is based on high academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, service, and scholarship.
“Going into the evening, I did not expect that I was going to win the Scovill Prize. I was honored to simply be recognized and nominated amongst many of my peers whom I've taken courses with and admired. It was exciting to hear my name called and very unexpected,” she said. “My goal had always been, with three majors, to get an award in each major. I had already received one for English and one for the Pre-Law program previously, so I was honored to have History and Philosophy ones to add as well.”
Olivia has also challenged herself to tackle an inspiring Performance Learning project that is putting her creative writing skills to the test. After being inspired by watching the HBO documentary “The Vow” on the NXIVM self-improvement group whose leader was convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering, Olivia reached out to a former member that was featured. A friendship grew and led to a manuscript project that Olivia hopes will eventually be published.
“For my Honors capstone project, I have been ghostwriting the memoir of a woman who was a former member and the first whistleblower of NXIVM. She was a very highly-ranked member, having served on the executive board, and has an absolutely remarkable story of perseverance through extreme adversity,” Olivia said. “I found the story of NXIVM to be fascinating in understanding why 17,000 people enrolled in these courses, even earning endorsements and recognition from top global leaders including the Dalai Lama, and understanding how those in power preyed upon so many well-intentioned people simply hoping to better themselves and make a positive difference in the world. Her story, in particular, stood out to me as a Pre-Law student, seeing how the group truly weaponized the legal system against her after she began to speak out about her experiences. It's an incredible case study in recognizing how the group used lawyers, the media, and the judiciary to attempt to silence and shun former members who were speaking out and trying to do what was right.”
Olivia’s mother, Liz Swords, is a Millikin Class of 1988 graduate, and Millikin was always on Olivia’s radar as a college choice. After earning the Millikin Presidential Scholarship, Olivia’s choice was clear, and she challenged herself to make the most of her Big Blue experience.
“When I attended Dennis Lab School in junior high, we had a partnership with Millikin that allowed me to come to campus often, so I got to know a lot of the students and felt like it was a vibrant and engaging community,” Olivia said. “I viewed the Presidential Scholarship as the university's investment in me, and ever since, I have worked to maximize that investment. I never would have anticipated that I would go on to pursue three majors, but I truly attribute that flexibility to the Honors program and my professors for allowing me to take on that challenge. Getting to be involved on campus and pursue all of my passions – because I have a lot of interests in different areas – that's definitely been beyond what I expected.”
