Describe your central passion(s) and how you hope to carry that into your post-grad plans:
My central passion is working with kids! I have been working with kids since I was 13, a kid myself, and enjoy every minute of it. I plan to work at the Boys and Girls Club summer camp where I recently received a promotion and I then intend to work with kids with autism. I plan to go on and get my masters in psychology and maybe a degree in education as well.
What (or who) helped inspire your passion in this area (or areas)?
In this area I have been really inspired by my boss Rachel Dobias. She started as a counselor at the same camp I attended as a child, and I watched her go on to be the Assistant Camp Director and eventually the camp director. When I was a kid, I saw her getting promoted and doing what she loved, and I said I want to do that too! So, I became a counselor in training and then a counselor and now I get to work as a support counselor with her as my amazing mentor and boss.
Briefly tell us the story of one stand-out memory from your time at Flagler that will always make you smile:
A standout memory here at Flagler is when I was taking a tour of Flagler. I had never seen a palm tree before and thought they were soft because in the movies they look soft and flowy. So, I walked up to a palm tree and smacked it thinking it would bend or flop over. I ended up cutting my hand and tried to hide it from my tour guide and parents. Eventually they saw me bleeding and they took me to security to get bandaged up. After the fact I remember my tour guide saying “well welcome to Florida, I’m sure you’ll never forget this moment” she was not wrong. Now as an ambassador giving tours, I always tell that story about my first true Floridian experience!
What academic resources, experiences, or mentors proved most valuable throughout your Flagler experience?
One of my most rewarding experiences here came from a class in my minor. I took musical theatre scene study as a class to help improve my performance and boy did it! I got to choose three songs and to workshop in front of the professor and class. I started the class and remembered not feeling too confident about performing. After workshopping them with Kip Taisey and the rest of the class I started to consider going into theatre and maybe working with kids in that setting. I then decided to take children’s theatre as a class with Leah Page and I could not have asked for a better class. Now children’s theatre as a career is something I am still greatly considering. These two classes and two amazing Professors really impacted me for the better and opened my eyes to the process of performing that I had never considered before.
What is one piece of advice or lesson you learned about the college experience that you wish you could tell your freshman year self?
Don’t stress as much about the future! I always assumed that I needed to know exactly what I wanted to do my first year of school but that is absolutely not true. I changed my major multiple times and have had so many opportunities and interests arise over these four years at Flagler. I never thought I would be considering theatre or performing as a career. And now I have had so many opportunities to pursue that field among others. To first year Grace Donnelly, and to any other first year who may see this: Let your interests develop throughout college and as my wise professor Kip Taisey would say, “You never know where you are in the arc of your own story!”
Tell us about what you’re up to next! Any cool experiences, professional positions, or unique opportunities you have lined up after graduation?
I have a job lined up at the Boys and Girls club for a summer leadership position and from there I plan on getting a full-time job working with kids while I get my masters in psychology. I also plan to shadow a family friend at her work where she works with adolescents with autism. Lastly, I plan to coach little league softball where I used to play in my hometown!