Olivia Goransson
2026 Doris Harrington Servant Leadership Scholarship Winner
Boston University

This year, Little Pink’s first ever Doris Harrington Servant Leadership Scholarship was awarded to one applicant with service as a high priority of focus.

As a child, I understood life differently from many of my peers. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I learned early what it meant to live with uncertainty. I knew what chemotherapy was before I knew long division. While some might see this loss of innocence as tragic, I see it as formative. My mother never hid the reality of illness from me, but she also showed me the resilience and hope that can exist within hardship.

Rather than letting cancer define her, she founded a company to support others navigating similar diagnoses. Watching her transform trauma into advocacy shaped how I view adversity. I learned that difficult experiences can become catalysts for empathy and action.

These lessons influence how I lead and serve today. My experiences have inspired me to study Economics and Public Health at Boston University and pursue a career advocating for equitable access to healthcare, continuing the example my mother set by turning hardship into purpose.

Olivia’s Doris Harrington Servant Leadership Scholarship Essay:

Soccer has always been my refuge, but for years, I took everything for granted: my cleats, fields, and coaches. That sense of normalcy was shattered when my coach shared a detail about a women’s team he worked with in Lesotho, the Mafeteng Sisters. To play, eighteen girls shared only eight worn-out pairs of cleats, rotating shoes just to sub into a game. It was a jarring realization that the sport that gave me confidence and community was inaccessible for girls just like me, simply because of where they were born.

I could not ignore this reality. I wanted to make soccer more accessible, so I began by talking to local bakeries, convincing them to distribute pamphlets and offer incentives for donating used gear. As donations grew, I realized that money, not motivation, was the biggest barrier to acquiring enough equipment for everyone. I refused to let that stop me; I negotiated a discount at DICKS so every dollar raised could stretch further. By the end of the drive, I had raised over $3,000 and sent five suitcases of equipment, including 50 new pairs of cleats. Receiving a video of the girls smiling with their new shoes grounded me; it proved that following my passion can spark life-changing, powerful global impact.

However, my involvement did not stop there. As I learned about the girls’ lives, I became aware of the devastating impact HIV/AIDS had on their community. I encountered stories of exploitation and abuse rooted in misinformation and stigma. To understand the larger systems behind these injustices, I centered my IB Extended Essay on HIV/AIDS treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, examining patent law, access to medication, and survivor advocacy.

Today, what began as a soccer drive has evolved into a commitment to global health equity. I am working to continue HIV education while raising awareness in my own community through presentations and education. Soccer was the entry point, but my goal now is to use my voice to support those whose stories deserve to be heard. This work is deeply personal to me, as watching my mother navigate cancer showed me how profoundly illness can reshape a life, and reinforced my commitment to ensuring that access to care and support is not determined by circumstance or geography.