Olivia VanAlst; born January 12, 2000. 3 years after birth her parents underwent a long and painful divorce, resulting in many therapy appointments for Olivia and her sister Madison. Seeing the two people that were supposed to love each other until death do them part, hate each other with such passion was definitely hard on Olivia and her sister. Olivia, Madison, and their mom moved all over Genesee County throughout the next 9 years, never staying in the same house for longer than 2 years. 3rd grade Olivia was diagnosed with mild depression which would slowly grow throughout the next few years into something much bigger.
    
Ellen Hopkins (author) and NF (musician) were the only people giving Olivia the motivation to even hold on any longer. 'Perfect' and 'Crank' were the only books Olivia would read repeatedly because they were not like any other book, they were real. NF's music corresponded with Ellen Hopkins in a way of being so raw and to the point, something not many people would talk about.

As freshman year approached, Olivia was again diagnosed with chronic depression, as a way to cope with everything she started to write. She found joy in picking up a pencil and seeing all of her emotions flow onto a sheet of paper, seeing something so small be able to give her a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, happiness.  Her author's voice could be described as dark and mysterious but also have a hint of humor at times.

    Her beliefs: Equality is great and love is a myth. Growing up watching your own mother and father promote such hatred towards each other can really mess with you and change how you view things. One of her strongest beliefs is mainly thrusted into the LGBT community. Being part of the community she is by far one of the hardest supporters. Coming out a somewhat homophobic family was definitely something different and she started putting all of her energy towards something she believed in so strongly.