MSU alumna makes mark on social media, generations of Bulldogs
Kathleen Olivieri practices what she teaches.
In the classroom, the former Mississippi State technical writing lecturer teaches students how to successfully communicate their ideas. In her personal life, Olivieri has found her own success online by communicating what she knows best—herself.
“I got into the whole social media thing just because I’ve always documented my life,” Olivieri said. “I never really set out to talk about MSU, but it’s just one of those things that happened.”
A Yazoo City native, Olivieri first came to MSU in 1984 as a communication major and feature twirler with the Famous Maroon Band. Now, she uses social media to share insight into her daily activities and her love for all things MSU. Among her most popular posts are “Outfit of the Day,” or OOTD, videos where she showcases her daily looks, which often include vintage styles that have been in her closet for decades. She also shares “Day in the Life” videos providing glimpses into her experiences on a college campus or with her husband, and fellow Bulldog, Ralph.
Because of posts like these, she’s garnered over 50,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok and received more than 700,000 likes. She went viral in summer 2024 showcasing her sorority rush wardrobe from her freshman year. She explains in the video that her rush clothes were handmade by a seamstress in her hometown—the same woman who made her baton outfits and, eventually, her wedding dress.
“My mother would buy material and ask her to make what I needed, so I never knew what I was going to find,” Olivieri recalled. “I didn’t know what my wedding dress looked like until I showed up to try it on.
“I didn’t keep these clothes for a reason. I just kept them because they meant something to me,” she said. And, obviously, social media users see something in them, too.
Olivieri admits she was surprised the vintage dress video would get online attention. Still, something about her passion for fashion and her knack for finding positive and interesting things in her everyday life strikes a chord with audiences. And with more than 40 years spent at Mississippi State, where she not only found a career but the love of her life and place to raise a family, she has no shortage of Maroon and White-related content to share.
She regularly showcases MSU-themed accessories and maroon fashions, many of which hold special memories or meanings. Her videos also give viewers a look behind-the-scenes of faculty life and glimpses into rural living.
Olivieri said documenting her life and sharing it online was a logical step for her. She said as an undergraduate in communication, she fell in love with broadcasting—a field that introduced her to Ralph who worked for many years at the University Television Center.
The couple frequently documented their life on camera in the’80s and ’90s, so when social media and smartphones came around, Olivieri was an early user. Not only did it feed her love for videography and communication, but it fit right in with her career at the time—working for MSU’s Information Technology Services—and would come into play with the field she earned an MSU doctoral degree in—student development in higher education.
“I was on Facebook right when it came out just so I could stay up with the students, because technology is cool,” Olivieri said. “If it’s not cool, why bother, you know? It was cool. It was fun. I was always on social media.
“My husband is creative, and I like to be creative, and this provided an outlet for that,” she continued. “Ralph doesn’t mind me being on camera, because his whole working life was about recording people. It’s just normal to him.”
Carol Read, Olivieri’s lifelong friend and former boss from her first Mississippi State job in the Division of Continuing Education, said it’s her creativity that makes Olivieri special.
“She thinks and marches outside the box,” Read said. “She’s very creative. She doesn’t see obstacles. She just sees opportunities.”
While she doesn’t bring her social media into the classroom out of respect for her students, Olivieri does find ways to make teaching technical communication engaging. She said she enjoys playing music as students trickle into the classroom, something she learned from a music professor.
“I like to have fun and keep their attention,” Olivieri said.
Most importantly, she teaches by example, showing students how being a good communicator can open doors. She also helps them see that there’s nothing wrong with seeking extra help to improve communication skills—despite personality type, field of study or future career.
“Don’t just say you don’t have good communication skills, you’re an introvert or that you don’t need to work on communication because that’s not what you plan to do,” Olivieri explained. “We still need to be able to communicate, because the person who can communicate their idea will be the one who’s successful.”
She says one of the most important aspects of professional and personal communication is simply to be interested in others, a skill she learned from her late father.
“No matter where we went, we always found him with the most successful person in the room just holding a conversation,” she recalled. “He enjoyed listening to and learning from others, and people just gravitated toward him. I remind my students to be interested in others, and that’s what I’ve done with MSU.”
Now, Olivieri is taking the education, experience and insights gained from her time at Mississippi State and starting a new chapter as an assistant dean with Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology. But despite relocating to the Sooner State and adding more black and orange to her wardrobe, she is sure to say she will always be a maroon-wearing, cowbell-ringing, Alumni Band-performing Bulldog.
“Mississippi State University has given me my best friends and my husband,” Olivieri said. “It’s really interesting how my career twisted and turned, and I’ve learned so much. I’ve had so much fun, and I’ve met the best people and the best students.
“So, I love Mississippi State,” she continued. “It’s given me everything, and it’s given me the background to now enter a new phase of my life, which is not going to be a struggle because I carry Mississippi State with me.”
By Aspen Harris, Photos by Grace Cockrell