Name: Cesilee Holdsworth
Age: 21
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Clayton, NC
Favorite movie: This is always the hardest question for me because I love a variety of genres, I would probably say “Catch Me If You Can” or “The Silence of the Lambs” – I like crime films.
Must-have makeup item: Mascara
Favorite coffee flavor: Caramel – iced
Favorite clothing accessory: Right now it’s hoop earrings.
HC: What are you most excited about for the holidays this year? Do you have any family traditions?
CH: I am most excited to spend some time with my family because I have not been home a lot this semester. I am also going to Disney World on Christmas which is something I have never done before. My mom always let my sisters and I open one gift on Christmas Eve and it was always pajamas. I used to get annoyed because I wanted a present but now we all make sure she gets us pajamas to open on Christmas Eve.
HC: Do you have any hidden talents?
CH: I am a really good cook and I am pretty good at decorating cakes. Sometimes for fun I watch cake decorating videos, it’s really not too difficult if you have the time and money for all the supplies (which is why I don’t decorate often).
HC: What is the best Netflix series you’ve watched?
CH: I am terrible at sticking with a series so I would classify the best as shows I finished: “Shameless”, “Parks and Rec” and my favorite show right now is “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu.
HC: What are you most passionate about?
CH: The only thing I have ever wanted to do with my life was help others, it sounds cheesy but it’s the honest truth. I know that wherever I am in the future I will make sure that I am reaching to those who need it the most. I put a lot of people before myself but it doesn’t bother me. If I am not working directly with individuals for my career I know I will spend free time volunteering with organizations in my community. To me there is no better feeling than making someone else’s day, it makes my day.
HC: What has been your favorite moment in 2017 so far?
CH: This year I helped train 9 service dogs and this summer I helped train a diabetes alert dog for an internship. My favorite moment was learning about this process, getting to work with the other interns and my mentor and having a direct impact on aiding in someone’s day to day functioning.
HC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
CH: I will be 26 so I hope to have a master’s or PhD and be working in the field. Right now my interests are in applied behavioral sciences, specifically I want to research and plan ways to change the environment in which people live in to encourage them to make healthier decisions.
HC: What is your favorite thing to do in Wilmington?
CH: My favorite thing to do in Wilmington is to go downtown and find new restaurants or coffee shops. I honestly don’t know the last time I went to the beach even though I lived on the beach last year. I think downtown is more in tune with me.
HC: What is the most important thing you have learned from your college experience?
CH: I think the most important thing I have learned from my college experience is to breathe. I have always had issues worrying about things since I was able to talk but this worrying did not become a real problem until my sophomore year of college. I let my anxiety get so bad that I started to develop physical symptoms and I no longer felt like the happy, ambitious person I had always been. I have struggled to control my stress over the last 3 and ½ years but I am learning to take a deep breath and remind myself that everything will be okay. It’s easy to let an exam or a letter grade define you in college, and it’s easy to let not knowing where you will be in 4 years get the best of you. It’s good to have a plan but life is what happens while you’re busy making plans, and sometimes things happen and you have to regroup and go from there. I hope I continue to learn about myself and not worry as much about the what if’s but rather go for what I want in the now. All I want to be is better than the person I was yesterday.
HC: Do you have any regrets during your time at UNCW?
CH: I think my only regret is that I did not explore things outside my comfort zone until my senior year. I thought I knew what I wanted so I didn’t take business classes or foreign languages etc. I would advise people to explore other classes, volunteer, or join student organizations because even if it wasn’t what you wanted you probably learned something or met someone from those experiences.
HC: What is your biggest pet peeve?
CH: I really don’t like when people are rude to others providing services. It makes me so mad.
[Photos courtesy of Cesilee Holdsworth]