The Office of Veterans & Military Programs (VAMP) at UConn is pleased to recognize Olivia Giuffria as UConn’s Student Veteran of the Month. Olivia is a member of the Air National Guard in Health Management Administration (4A0X1) within the 103rd Medical Group. Her additional duties include CPR instructor and CUI manager in addition to being a functional training manager for her section where she oversees the education and training. She enlisted in January 2021 and was just promoted to Staff Sergeant. Olivia’s dad is an Air Force veteran, and her brother is also active-duty Air Force, so it’s a great experience bringing her family to promotions and other family-oriented events for the military.
One of her most memorable experiences was going to Okinawa, Japan for AT in September 2024 where she trained & shadowed at the naval hospital for 3 weeks, learning how the different services work together and see how a military hospital works. On the way to/from Japan they also stopped in Alaska and Seattle and had the opportunity to explore those places too.
Olivia came to UConn in January 2022 after coming home from initial bootcamp/tech school training. She started on the pre-med track as a Physiology & Neurobiology student, but last year she realized that she wanted to do nursing. So, she applied to the Nursing program, got in, and is now a nursing student set to graduate in 2027! Her goal is to become an ICU nurse and commission as a nurse into the Air Force and join the Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT). She currently works as a patient care technician at Hartford Hospital in the Neuro-Trauma ICU to gain experience. Besides her academic goals, Olivia wants to get out of her comfort zone and build close relationships. Over the past few years, she shares that it’s been important to join different clubs and get involved, to meet new people and build friendships. One of Olivia’s favorite parts about being a UConn student is going to the sports games and working as an RA. She loves putting on events for her residents and making different goodies for them such as treats or goodie bags to help build community and foster friendships. She has also met amazing people within the different RA staffs which has been amazing.
One piece of advice Olivia would give to fellow students is “to not be afraid to change paths mid college and to reach out if you need help. College is not easy, but there are so many great resources available to us that can make our life a little easier! Choosing a career path can also be very intimidating and challenging, so don’t be afraid to switch majors or paths if you feel that is right for you. It is better to get a degree in something you know will be right for you, even if it takes a little bit more time.”
If you would like to nominate a student, faculty, or staff member for “Veteran of the Month,” please contact Nikki Eberly at with the name of the person and reasons for your nomination.