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In Memoriam
Olivia I. Phifer:
June 25, 1993 - November 3, 2019
Olivia I. Phifer
departed this life on Sunday, November 3, 2019 in
Lawrenceville, Georgia at the age of 26.
She was born Olivia India Phifer to Mr. and Mrs. Jesse
Phifer III on June 25, 1993 in Toledo, Ohio. Olivia was the
youngest of two children. She is survived by her parents;
older sisters, Victoria I. Phifer, Jessica Y. Jones;
Godmother, Rose Alford; aunts; uncles; numerous cousins and
many friends in the Toledo, DC, Atlanta and global
community.
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Olivia joined St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Toledo,
Ohio, at an early age. She played the piano for the church
Sunday School. She was a youth usher and a member of the
youth choir. She was a consummate orator, a violinist and
involved in community service. Notably, Olivia is an Alumnae
member and Past Mid-Western Regional Teen Legislative
Officer of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; and was selected
as the 2011 Ms. Debutante for the
Toledo Club of
NANBPWC, Inc. Cotillion.
She also participated in the Toledo
NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and
Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)
competitions,
a
yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate,
and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among
high school students of African descent who exemplify
scholastic and artistic excellence; and
the Toledo EXCEL program (Group XIX),
a
scholarship incentive program at The University of Toledo,
which strives to prepare students for success in college.
Olivia was educated at Maumee Valley Country Day School in
Toledo, Ohio. She later went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree
from Howard University, graduating Magna cum laude
from the Cathy Hughes School of Communications.
While at Howard University, Olivia was actively involved in
the School of Communications, along with, other
organizations on campus. During her freshman year, Olivia
served as a Corps member for JumpStart, a community based
organization.
Olivia was a member of the Howard University Association of
Black Journalists and served as the vice president for the
2013-2014 academic year. Olivia was a dynamic and ambitious
student determined to find her path in the communications
field. She became the public relations director for the
Spotlight Network and worked for the Hilltop Newspaper as an
assistant multimedia director. In 2013, she was selected for
the prestigious White House Internship Program.
Towards the end of her Howard University tenure, Olivia
interned at CNN under the supervision of Candy Crowley. In
2014, she earned an opportunity as a Digital Marketing
Intern for Voice of America, a globally-recognized radio
network. Olivia also had a passion for photography and
digital media. She founded Phiferphotography in 2014 and
served as the creative director.
Olivia’s love for travel and education led her abroad where
she earned a Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing from SKEMA
Business School in Valbonne, France. Olivia served as a
teacher's assistant for the Digital Marketing program. She
managed the inaugural Master's blog, and was part of the
internal communications team for the 2016-2017 academic
year. In addition, she co-organized a networking community
for the local and expat students in the French Riviera.
Upon returning to the United States, she moved to Atlanta,
GA where she was a freelance writer for beBATONROUGE, served
as an intern for Hexagon and later became a marketing
content specialist for 22 Miles.
Services for Olivia will be held Friday, December 6, 2019 at
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 1502 N. Detroit Avenue,
Toledo, OH; Family Visitation 11a.m., Memorial Service
12p.m., Repast to promptly follow in Church Fellowship Hall
-lower level.
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