CHRISTUS Emergency RN Is A Nurse By Day, A Beauty Queen By Night
By Diana Vallette
Olivia Rivera is a registered nurse, a personal trainer and a beauty queen. By day, Rivera works 12-hour shifts in the emergency room at CHRISTUS Ochsner in Lake Charles. By night (and on weekends) she’s been preparing for and competing in national pageants.
Recently, her hard work paid off when she snagged the crown at Universal Miss Nationals.
She didn’t start out dreaming of tiaras and sashes. Her first passion was health and fitness. After earning her degree in exercise science, she became a personal trainer and health coach. Things shifted for her when a client needed medical clearance to train. “That piqued my interest in medicine,” Rivera says. “I wanted to know the other side of health — the clinical side. That’s what prompted me to go back to school and become a nurse.”
She loves her work as a nurse and enjoys teaching patients at a critical point in their lives. “Many of them are ready for change at that moment,” she says.
A Tough Childhood
Rivera grew up in poverty, experiencing neglect and abuse as a child. “There were times we didn’t know if we’d have a meal,” she says. “I carried a lot of shame and guilt, wondering what kind of person I’d become when I got older.”
At age 11, she was adopted by a Marine family. “It was a second chance for me. Before, we didn’t have anybody to get us up to go to school in the morning; suddenly, we had a bedtime. I had structure for the first time, a family that sat down together for dinner and my first real Christmas.
“The first time I ever got a hug was in church at youth group after I was adopted. Someone gave me a hug and said ‘I’m so happy you’re here.’ I immediately started bawling. That was a life changing moment for me.”
She says her biological mother is a whole different person now. “She gave her life to Christ. She’s making better choices, and now she’s helping my sisters raise their children.”
Mentoring Youth
When she was young, Rivera had a mentor who would show up at school to support her. “I was a shy and quiet kid, and having someone who told me I could do anything I want to do changed things for me.”
The mentor took her shopping for her first homecoming dress. “It was someone doing life with me. She’d remember I was taking a tough test one week and check in with me,” Rivera says.
It was little things like that which turned out not to be little at all. Rivera says it’s important to remember the most successful people in the world have mentors, and having help from someone a little further along than you can be a big asset.
Now, Rivera’s determined to be that source of encouragement for others. She mentors a 12-year-old through Big Brothers Big Sisters and meets her for lunch at her school every other week. Rivera also recently launched Purpose Packs, which are vision board starter kits that include journals, colored pencils and motivational stickers. “I always make sure when I pass out my Purpose Packs the kids get a big hug.” She wants the kids to know they were created “on purpose, for a purpose.”
The Crown
Rivera’s pageant journey began when a friend encouraged her to enter an online fitness model competition. Contestants completed interviews, submitted photos and relied on community votes. Rivera placed in the top five. “I enjoyed having the opportunity to talk about what I was passionate about,” she says. “It made me realize I wanted to do something bigger.”
Later, when Rivera entered (and won) the Colors for a Cause pageant, which supports childhood cancer awareness, she learned that pageants were a great vehicle to make a difference.
“I was able to do a ton of community service,” she says. “We raised money, hosted a 5K, organized a color run, and recruited businesses to get involved. It taught me how important it was to be active in the community.”
Her latest title, Universal Miss National, required months of preparation, and it was a week-long contest. “Learning the facial expressions for runway was interesting. I’m more of just a … smile person. It’s more complex than that. I wasn’t even sure I had a serious face,” she says.
“Sometimes I forgot it was even a competition,” Rivera says. The group woke up every day at 3 am for hair and makeup, and each day was a separate portion of the competition.
Contestants who advanced to the top 10 faced a final cut to the top five, capped by an on-stage question. “The question they asked me was ‘With all that you’ve been through in your life, how do you plan on holding this title?’ I was so nervous,” she says. “I paused and got a bit emotional, but I answered honestly. It felt like my whole journey had led to that moment. I couldn’t believe I’d won. It was my first time ever doing a top-five on-stage question, and to win nationals on top of that — it was surreal.”
Her reign will keep her busy for the next year. She’s required to participate in at least three regional pageants and two community service projects each month, with opportunities for additional paid appearances. She plans to donate any funds to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
To balance her career, pageant duties and personal life, Rivera relies on structure. She’s a Type A planner who starts each morning with tea, reading, a motivational podcast, affirmations, exercise and reviewing her vision board. That vision board includes goals like writing a devotional, expanding her nonprofit work and traveling to Barcelona.
Her husband, who she met in youth group, is a chiropractor who owns Life By Design Chiropractic. The couple reconnected as adults and have been married for five years.
Rivera says the biggest misconception about pageants is they’re all about looks. “It’s really about leadership and connection,” she explains. “Pageants teach you how to prepare for interviews, how to speak about what you stand for, and how to carry yourself with confidence. Growing up, I was shy and never made eye contact. Now, I can stand on stage, answer tough questions, and hopefully inspire others to believe they can overcome whatever it is they’re struggling with, too.”
Her colleagues at the hospital couldn’t be prouder. “They call me ‘queen’ and even put a little crown over my name on the (dry erase) board,” Rivera laughs. “It’s all in good fun, but it means a lot to know they support me.”
For Rivera, the crown is more than a title. It’s proof that circumstances don’t define your destiny.
“I grew up with so much stacked against me. Statistically, kids from backgrounds like mine repeat the cycle. But I’ve broken that. I get to show other kids that they can, too.”
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