For Olivia Chapko, a single question changed the trajectory of her life.
As a student at Washington State University, she was searching for a purpose and wondering how she could make the greatest impact. Then she watched a documentary that posed a simple challenge: What would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?
“I knew right then: this is it.”
Olivia took a leap of faith and joined Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). That decision launched a 6 ½-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where she served as a Security Forces Officer and eventually separated as a Captain.
She was the first person in her family to attend college and the first to join the military.
Throughout her service, Olivia led security and law enforcement teams in Missouri, Colorado, South Korea, and Japan.
Time after time, Olivia was called to help during some of the hardest moments of people’s lives. Those experiences taught her that leadership isn’t always about solving problems. Often, it’s about being present.
As one of the few women in Security Forces leadership, Olivia also felt pressure to prove herself. For years, she believed that effective leadership meant carrying every burden and being everything to everyone. Over time, she discovered a deeper truth.
Being a strong leader doesn’t mean sacrificing yourself. It means caring for yourself so you can continue caring for others. That lesson became especially important when she transitioned out of military service.
Like many veterans, Olivia faced the challenge of redefining who she was outside the uniform. The military taught her to shoulder enormous responsibility, but civilian life offered a different opportunity: to build a life centered on authenticity, balance, and joy.
Rather than carrying everything alone, she learned to embrace support, community, and her full identity as a disabled, queer veteran.
Today, Olivia is completing her Master of Social Work degree while also running a small business focused on trauma-informed dance, movement, and somatic practices. This year alone, she has taught hundreds of people, creating spaces where individuals feel safe, welcome, and free to be themselves.
That passion led her to Lutheran Community Services Northwest, where she is completing her MSW practicum as a certified sexual assault and crime victim advocate in the Spokane Victim Advocacy and Education program. Whether staffing the program’s 24/7 sexual assault support line, accompanying survivors during medical exams, providing walk-in advocacy, or conducting community outreach, Olivia brings both compassion and calm to her work.
“The military taught me to stay calm and steady when things are hard,” she says. “Since then, I’ve learned that my role isn’t to fix anything for anyone. It’s to believe survivors, offer options, and let them lead.”
For Olivia, the Veterans Day holiday in November is a time for reflection. She and her partner, who also served in the military, take the opportunity to honor the people they served alongside and to appreciate how far they have come together.
Looking back, she feels pride not only in the years she spent serving her country, but also in the person she has become.
Her message to fellow veterans is rooted in that experience.
“We often overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in three to five. Give yourself time, reach out early, and check in on someone you served with this week.”
And for the broader community, she hopes people will look beyond a veteran’s service record and get to know the person behind it.
“Instead of only saying, ‘Thank you for your service,’ ask a veteran what they did or what they’re up to now. Most of us have stories we’d love to share.”
