“I want to make a difference in a lot of ways – at school, at math camp, as a teacher, a friend, a daughter.  If I’m not making a difference in the world, then what the hell am I doing?” –Chelsea Caswell

 

Pulling up to Founders on August 19, 2015, I saw, standing right next to where we parked, two of my new suitemates, Becca and Chelsea. Over the next semester, Chelsea and I began spending much more time together and became very close.  Because her roommate was gone a lot and we are both night owls, I usually stayed in her room doing homework and goofing off until the wee hours of the morning.  At the start of the second semester, due to complications between Chelsea and her roommate, we all (Chelsea, Becca [Chelsea’s roommate], Katie [my roommate], and I) decided it would be best if Chelsea and Katie switched rooms.  That switch allowed Chelsea and I’s relationship to cross from suitemates to roommates and best friends.  Since coming to BGSU, Chelsea has become my go-to person, the one with whom I do mostly everything.  We do homework together, get food, watch movies, work out, get into various shenanigans.  We are also both Adolescent/Young Adult Education majors, which is another outlet through which we are able to bond.  It is weird for me to think that a mere nine months ago she was a complete stranger to me because she has been so instrumental in making my first year of college so enjoyable and fun.  Owing to the fact that some aspects of our personalities are extremely different, I have grown in my patience and my ability to see things from someone else’s perspective.  There are still many times that we do not see eye to eye, but this is somehow even better because it shows me that it is possible to disagree with someone and still be as close as ever.  My favorite thing about her, surpassing the fact that we are on almost the same level of weirdness, is that she is so passionate about making a difference in the world.  One day, Chelsea is going to be an urban high school math teacher, and it is through her that I am constantly renewed in my desire to become an educator.  She already genuinely cares for the students she hasn't even met yet and wants them to succeed, even when so many people have told them they can’t.  She is putting everything she has into the lessons she plans for her field placements, which shows how ready she is to become a teacher.  She inspires me to be a better teacher and sets a perfect example of what dedication to your career really means.  She helps me find my meaning in life by inspiring me to care for others and do everything in my power to help when I can.