Senior Lindsey O’Leary is a typical college student. She does work and likes hang out with her friends and family. Lindsey is a childhood education major with a concentration in earth science meaning she has student teaching on top of her other studies.
On May 12, Lindsey will be graduating with the rest of her class. “ I’m excited, but scared at the same time,” said Lindsey. “It’s the end of one chapter of my life and the beginning of another. The scariest thing is entering the real world with no job and a ton of student loans I need to pay back!”
She wanted to be a teacher because she really enjoys working with children. “I want to make a difference and be able to help mold the minds of future generations.”
Lindsey is also a member of Kappa Delta Pi which is an international honor society in education. She was nominated based on her GPA. To be nominated, students must be an education major with at least a 3.2 GPA. She did not have a chance to do much with KDP because she was inducted in the fall and is now graduating.
After graduating, Lindsey plans on going to grad school
at Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. If she’s accepted, she’ll work on getting her Master’s in literacy and special education. Lindsey also plans on substitute teaching at local schools or finding another job involving children.
She also got the opportunity of a lifetime by interning for Disney World. Her mother found out about the internship when she was talking to a man whose son was doing the internship. Lindsey’s mother told her and Lindsey’s sister about it. They both applied and after doing a phone interview and checking the mail every day, the two girls found out they were both accepted.
At first, Lindsey was nervous about leaving her family for so long, but found out it was well worth it. “I worked with and met so many amazing people from all over the world. I also got to ‘play’ in the parks for free whenever I wanted to.” She continues by saying, “Maybe one day I’ll move down there, work as a teacher during the school year and at Disney in the summer.”
Lindsey just finished student teaching. “It was difficult and stressful at times, but it was truly a rewarding experience. I can’t wait to have a classroom of my own one day.”