Emilee Baldwin is a sophomore Science Education major here at Illinois State. The first time I met her, I didn’t remember her name at all. It was at one of our Golden Apple monthly meetings. She introduced herself and spoke about a fundraiser but my head was on a different planet. I then would see her all the time in Vrooman. I would tell myself, “You know this girl….someway….somehow….” It took me a while to put two and two together. When I saw her at our next meeting, I remembered! I figured out that she lived in Manchester, and not too far away from me back up at home. Emilee got re-elected onto our Golden Apple Executive Board, and so did I! She is such a sweet girl that I have gotten to know so much about in these short 5 months. Emilee is involved and an inspiration – I hope you enjoy learning her story as much as I have.
Name: Emilee Baldwin
Hometown: Hoffman Estates
Major: Chemistry Teacher Education
Minor: Spanish
Role Model: Susan Bober, my high school chemistry teacher and Karyn Baldwin, my sister.
Favorite Netflix Addiction: Bones
Her Campus: Can you describe Illinois State in three words for me?
Emilee Baldwin: Feel’s like home!
HC: Can you describe yourself in three words?
EB: Unique, creative, and bright.
HC: What is your goal for this semester?
EB: This one is a tough one because so much has already changed this semester that my goals have been changing too, but I think the overarching goal that I have given myself this semester is to not let the fear of failing keep me from moving on. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring, let alone next week, so if I am constantly worried about how the decisions that I make right now will effect me in 5 or 10 years then I will never be happy in the here and now. I have a big decision that I have to make soon, and I know that once I make it I will feel so much happier. I just have to trust myself to know what is right for me.
HC: What do you like about ISU?
EB: The fact that it is a larger school that still feels like a small school. On days like Festival ISU, I remember just how many people actually go here, but when I walk across the quad to Metcalf at 7:30 (am) and there is no one else around, it feels like I am a part of something special.
HC: What is your favorite spot on campus?
EB: 6th floor of the library near the windows
HC: What made you want to become a teacher?
EB: For a long time I didn’t want to be one! As an 8th grader I had my heart set on being an engineer and going to U of I (lol). But then at some point during high school I realized that I had a knack for helping people understand things in different ways, and once I saw the spark in their eyes when they finally understood that elusive concept, I knew I was hooked. I also had an AMAZING chemistry teacher who has changed me in more ways that I can even begin to understand. She taught me that educating your students extends far beyond the classroom, and that while your content is important, your students will remember more about what you did to help others than they will about moles and stoichiometry. This was something that stuck with me and made me realize that I could be that type of teacher too.
HC: How did you find out about the Golden Apple Scholarship?
EB: I learned about this wonderful scholarship when I was in kindergarten. My sister, who is two grades ahead of me, had a teacher who was a golden apple scholar for 2nd grade. Karyn knew back then that she wanted to be a teacher so Ms. Kim told her all about Golden Apple, and if someday she still wanted to be a teacher she would be more than happy to write a letter of rec for her. Fast forward 10 years and Karyn did apply to the program with Ms. Kim’s letter of rec, and she got in.
HC: What does Golden Apple mean to you?
EB: It means a group of people who have the same dream, and it makes us like a family.
HC: What has been your favorite memory from Golden Apple so far?
By far it has to be this past summer at IMSA! I had a great time getting to run my own classroom with my co-teacher for a week, and also being able to see the classroom management side of things when I was the group leader the next week.
HC: How does being in the Golden Apple Scholar program help you in the future?
EB: It helps me network with other educators, both pre-professional and experienced. I also attend summer institutes, which give me hundreds of extra hours in the classroom even before I graduate college.
HC: What are some of your hobbies?
EB: Reading, running half marathons, and wearing tu-tus.
HC: What RSOs are you involved in here at ISU?
EB: SEA, Golden Apple ISU, Alternative Spring Breaks.
HC: How long have you been involved in those RSOs?
EB: 2 years!
HC: Why did you join those 3 organizations?
EB: I joined SEA and Golden Apple because they are really fantastic education RSOs that will help me stay up to date with what is happening in the education world, and I joined Alternative Spring Breaks because I wanted to be able to help people who are not part of my community, and in the process learn more ways to help those who are in my community.
HC: What is your favorite part of each RSO?
EB: I get to do so many things! From being the service chair for Golden Apple, to the Political Activist in SEA, to being a trip leader on a bus that is going to spend a week in a forest in Arkansas, I can definitely say that not a whole lot of my roles repeat, or ever become boring.
For Golden Apple it would have to be the people. I get to go to each meeting and know that there would be at least one familiar face in the audience and I have a chance to connect with people I may not see everyday. SEA would have to be the free pizza… lol just kidding. I think it is the fact that I get to play such a different role than I’m used to. And finally, ASB is because I can continue to be a volunteer, and help other people realize how good it feels when you do something for others.
HC: How else are you involved on campus?
EB: I am also part Dr. Boesdorfer’s research group. We specialize in researching different aspects of Chemistry teaching, and we actually just submitted an abstract in order to be part of the research symposium in March!
HC: I have been told that you are involved in St. Baldricks?
EB: I have shaved my head for St. Baldrick’s 3 times now and I have raised close to $10,000 between those 3 events. I shaved twice in high school and once last year, here at ISU. When I got to college I thought that I was done shaving my head, but then one of my friends asked me if I knew of any events happening in the area because she was thinking of shaving, and I took that as a sign that we should start one. Last year was the first annual St. Baldrick’s at ISU, and while we made MANY mistakes, we still we’re able to raise a little bit of money and get the work out. Fast forward a year and here we are, getting ready for our second annual St. Baldrick’s at ISU.
HC: Do you have any more information about it?
EB: Golden Apple ISU presents the 2nd annual St. Baldrick’s at ISU on March 26th from 12:00-3:00 pm in the Old Main room at the Bone Student Center! We are looking for people to shave their heads, donate 8 inches of hair, or simply volunteer, all while raising money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Shavees must raise a minimum of $25 and we are asking for volunteers to raise a minimum of $10. At our first annual event, we raised a total of $4,954. We are looking to raise even more this year, but are in need of your help in order to reach our goal.
St. Baldrick’s is a foundation formed to raise money to find cures for cancers that affect children specifically. According to the St. Baldrick’s website, some statistics you might want to share with members of your RSO include:
- “Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every 2 minutes”.
- “Before they turn 20, about 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will have cancer”.
- “More children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease—in fact, more than many other childhood diseases combined”.
The link to sign up for our event is: https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/ilstu2017
If you, or any member of your RSO has any questions about the event, the foundation, or about signing up to be a shavee, to donate hair, or simply to be a volunteer, please reach out to:
Emilee Baldwin – Lead Organizer 224-523-5066 ekbaldw@ilstu.edu
Karyn Baldwin – Shavee Recruiter 224-523-5063 knbaldw@ilstu.edu
Thank you to Emilee for sharing her story and being an inspiration to all!! We wish you the best of luck with all of your endeavors this semester.