The Racquette

Issue date: 12/11/09 Section: College Life

Media Credit: Courtesy: Chelsey Smith’s facebook page.

A few weeks ago, one of my professors contacted me regarding Chelsey Smith via hushed scheduling, covert emailing and a lot of winking. Dr. Sanatullova-Allison had an advisement meeting with my classmate Chelsey Smith, and had taken quite an interest in her, specifically her creation of the student organization Beat the Monster (BTM). She said, "it's impressive to see a young lady who is mature and responsible, and I was deeply moved by her story and her dedication to a cause that has, in a tangible way, affected her family." Dr. Sanatullova-Allison asked that I write an article about Chelsey so that others could learn about this special girl, a proposal I gladly accepted. Chelsey's story deserves to be heard and is one of hope and determination. So in light of the approaching holidays, here is an inspirational story that Dr. Sanatullova-Allison and I hope you benefit from.

Chelsey Smith is a 17 year old freshman at SUNY Potsdam. A 2009 graduate of Pioneer Senior High School, Chelsey hails from Freedom, NY. I asked Chelsey why she chose SUNY Potsdam of all places. Her response was, "I am a Spanish education major. There were six schools I visited that had my major, and this one was in the northeast. I loved the vibe that I got from here. It seemed like it was a very diverse campus."

Hoping to gain a little background, I asked Smith what her home life was like. She said, "My parents are divorced. I bounced back and forth between homes until seventh grade. Dad was my hero, because it was always an event when I saw him. As I got older, I realized that my mom was my true hero. Right now I live mostly with my mom, and I have a 14-year old brother. Also, we have a dog named Ringo, who I love!" When asked about her high school years, Chelsey said, "I enjoyed it until I made the decision to graduate early. I felt very unaccepted. Neither my old class nor my new class wanted me. A lot of people in the upper class didn't think I deserved to be ranked third in the class academically."

Naturally, this begs the question, why did Chelsey decide to graduate early? She replied, "to study abroad, in Costa Rica, but it turned out to be too expensive. Also, I never know, I'm assuming I have the gene to get breast cancer. For all I know, I could get it at 20, so I don't want to waste any time." Tragically, Chelsey has a long family history of breast cancer. She realizes that surgery may reduce her risk, but there is a strong chance Chelsey carries the gene like her mother. However, she doesn't let this bring her down. A quote by Jose Marti that Chelsey applies to her own life is "La unica fuerza y la unica verdad que hay en esta vida es el amor," or "the only strength and the only truth that is in this life is love."

Continued...

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