Octavia Thompson

Octavia is an entrepreneur, national certified tutor, motivational speaker, and the proud author of “Resilience Become Me: The Guidebook to Overcoming.” Octavia was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY where she was introduced to creative arts. At an early age she was enamored with the art of storytelling. Combined with her passion for the dramatic arts, she began writing poetry, monologues, and short stories that evoked total life transformation. Octavia attended Hofstra University where she majored in Psychology - the first in her family to do so. In 2014, Octavia was asked to be the Keynote Speaker for an Intermediate School Graduation where she encouraged the graduates to overcome the obstacles that life puts in front of you; no matter what.

At the young age of 17, Octavia was diagnosed with a dilated cardiomyopathy. Her severe diagnosis became real when her condition worsened and she found herself in a coma. In 2020, Octavia received her heart transplant after spending two weeks on this list. The timing couldn’t have been better due to her life depending on it. Octavia’s fight from adolescence into adulthood is a true testament of resilience.