Kelsie Scanlon: Growing Through Experience
By Lola Kelly
“Everything will be okay.” This simple motto reflects Kelsie’s radiant personality. Although we only met recently, we became fast friends and I am honored to introduce her to you. Kelsie Scanlon was born on October 27th and grew up in Essex, Vermont. She grew up alongside her older sister, Addy, and their parents, Amy and Kyle. Together, they often spent a lot of time outdoors exploring nature. Kelsie also told me about how there weren’t many other kids in her neighborhood and how she always wished she could have had neighborhood friends. However, Kelsie and her sister managed to find things they liked to do. Kelsie is a very active person who enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, being with friends, traveling, and spending time outdoors. Through this interview, I learned that Kelsie is the type of person to take her challenges in stride and to always learn and grow from them.
Before coming to college at UB, Kelsie decided to take a gap year to gain new experiences and grow as a person before beginning her college journey. She attended a school abroad, in Rome, where she was able to train for soccer, experience a new culture, and learn to live in a different environment. Because of her friendly nature and outgoing personality, Kelsie was able to adapt well and take advantage of everything offered. During her time in Rome, she saw gorgeous beaches, ate amazing food, and met new people, including her now girlfriend. Being very sociable, she did not have a hard time making friends and connections. She was also able to connect with herself in a way she may not have if she hadn’t taken the chance to live somewhere new. Being such a reflective time in her life, she also took to journaling. She likes writing because it allows her to express herself without any pressure or rules. The year, a time for growth and reflection, prepared Kelsie for her new chapter here at UB. Now she is ready to keep growing and use everything she learned to work toward her goals.
Another aspect of Kelsie’s life she has worked hard to pursue is soccer. Kelsie is a goalkeeper. Soccer has played a role in Kelsie’s life for about 15 years now. From playing as a child to now at the college level, it has always been something she has enjoyed. We share a love for soccer, so I asked Kelsie if there were any specific teams or coaches that stuck out to her. She told me about a team from when she was younger, where she played with her cousin and was coached by her aunt. This team was important to her because it intertwined family and something she was growing to love. Her aunt was able to teach Kelsie about the game and lead her to keep coming back to it. “Falling in love” with something so early on in life forms a special connection that Kelsie feels grateful to have experienced. Through soccer, she has made meaningful connections with teammates and coaches. She agrees that a special bond is formed between teammates through long traveling days, multiple-day tournaments, wins, losses, playoffs, and championships. She says she is already feeling this with the UB soccer team, even being only about 2 months into the season. She also feels that playing the sport has made her more disciplined and given her an outlet. She describes playing as “something that clears my head, I always look forward to training.” For Kelsie, the idea of working towards a goal, like being a starter in soccer, can also apply to any challenges she will face. She is excited to continue her athletic journey here at UB and make more of the meaningful connections she spoke about.
Looking toward the future, Kelsie’s goals reflect her caring and hardworking personality. She is currently majoring in biology and hopes to pursue a career in the medical field. She shows special interest in obstetrics or gynecology because she likes the idea of helping people and bringing new life into the world. When I asked her about what made her want to work in such a demanding field, she explained how her passion started in high school. She was struggling with mental health. She worked through it and was able to gain a new perspective. She became more aware of those around her and felt like she was able to better recognize when other people needed help. She turned her personal struggle into a passion to help others. Kelsie was inspired by her own struggles and also always has her family’s support. Kelsie’s biggest role model is her older sister, Addy. Although they share a 7-year age gap, they have always been close, and Addy continues to inspire Kelsie to work towards her own future.
Kelsie’s determination and passion for everything she does is building a path towards a great future. She has learned from her traveling experiences, her time playing soccer, and her role models to grow into the person she is today. Each experience has shaped her into someone willing to step outside their comfort zone, learn from challenges, and keep moving forward. From her childhood of exploring nature to moving across the world for a year, Kelsie has never been afraid to experience something new. In addition, what I have learned about Kelsie has shown me that she will keep embracing new challenges and living through her motto of “everything will be okay.”
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