Dreams Realized: Xavier’s Story
It’s easy for Family Success Advocate (FSA) Xavier Oliver to relate to the families he serves at Catherine Hershey School for Early Learning (CHS), Harrisburg.
As a 9-year-old boy in Philadelphia, Oliver’s mother had a long-term hospitalization. Three days later, he lost his father in a car accident. He then spent time living with various different family members.
“When my mom was in the hospital, we had a family friend who went to Milton Hershey School (MHS),” Oliver said. “My godmother found out about it and enrolled me into the school.”
Now, he’s giving back to families in need through his work at CHS, a subsidiary of MHS.
Building Resiliency
Oliver began his education at MHS in 2012 when he was in sixth grade and fully embraced his new opportunity.
“I flourished from there,” Oliver said. “I built resilience and a mindset of finishing what you started, and a commitment to mission.”
Another important lesson he learned in his youth was how to adapt to different environments and settings, something he feels has made him more personable and understanding of people from all walks of life.
“I learned to adapt to different surroundings,” he said. “From adapting to where I was staying as a kid to Milton Hershey School to college to getting a job. It helped me a lot.”
Finding His Path
During his time at MHS, he developed an interest in arts and media and special education. He also grew into a standout football player, becoming a three-time league all-star and learning lifelong lessons in discipline and professionalism.
Oliver graduated from MHS in 2018 and began his next journey. His skills on and off the field allowed him the opportunity to continue both his athletic and academic careers at Kutztown University.
Throughout his journey, the drive to work with and help children and families kept coming to the surface.
“As I took classes, I realized the passion for working with kids was always there,” Oliver said. “I had support at Kutztown to explore different careers and things. That’s where I learned more about family-based support, so I decided on social work.
“Then I come to find out my mom was a social worker. All her sisters were social workers. It was funny how it happened. It must’ve been in my blood.”
Championing the Hersheys’ Dream
Oliver graduated from Kutztown University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and moved back to Philadelphia to work in family-based therapy.
He learned about CHS from a fellow MHS graduate working as a teacher, and with his girlfriend already working in the Harrisburg area, the stars aligned.
He was inspired by the CHS family success approach and it was the perfect opportunity and time for him to contribute to the Hershey’s dream.
“It just gives me an understanding that everything I went through built me into what I am,” Oliver said. “It’s possible to change someone’s trajectory of wherever they want to go in their life.”
Oliver was hired as an FSA and works with families to build safe, strong, financially stable homes, providing comprehensive support services in addition to what children receive in the classroom.
CHS Harrisburg opened in September 2024.
FSAs keep communication lines open with families, assist them in establishing and reaching goals, conduct quarterly home visits to discuss progress, and connect families to resources and educational experiences.
“Families set goals that might be something they never, ever thought they could do,” OIiver said. “We’re walking with them through it. For some families, that’s new. They’ve never had the opportunity to have someone try to help.”
In addition to working at CHS, Oliver volunteers his time as an Assistant Coach on the MHS high school football team, returning to the locker room and field he used as an outlet during his time as a Spartan.
“Just seeing the kids and looking at them, kind of seeing me in them,” he said. “They ask me questions and I just laugh, because I was the same exact way.
“It’s cool to have those big brother conversations. I try to lead by example.”
Continuing the Dream
Persevering through the hardships in his life and being able to give back to the community that gave so much to him are a few ways Oliver has already realized his dreams.
“I would say not giving up, not allowing adversities to make me stop,” Oliver said of the biggest dream he’s realized. “Of course they made me stumble, but they didn’t stop me in my tracks.
“Even that little thing is a big dream for me. Because knowing where I came from, there’s not many that move out.”
And he still has more dreams to follow: He wants to get his master’s degree in social work and continue his education as far as possible.
“The next dream is to continue education as much as I can,” he said. “To always have an open mind to educate and keep moving up the ladder of education.”
Dreams Realized series: As the 2025-26 CHS school-year theme “One Team, One Dream” was launched in August, stories will be shared throughout the year showcasing members of the CHS community following—and realizing—their dreams. Vol. 1: Dil’s Story, Vol. 2: Lily’s Story, Vol. 3: Luna’s Story, Vol. 4: Xavier’s Story.
