Senior to Senior Series: Delaney O'Shea ’24
As a senior this year, I have been thinking back on my time here at Chatham. My fellow seniors and I, while eager to walk across the stage, have a lot of memories to recall before it’s time to put on our cap and gown. The Senior to Senior series is an opportunity for graduating students to speak about their time at Chatham and what it means to them.
Our next entry in the Senior to Senior series is Delaney O’Shea, a mathematics major! I’m taking my first-ever math class this semester, and the first one I’ve taken since college. The funny and honest conversation I got to have with Delaney for this interview really made me think about how there can be joy in mathematics. Delaney is on Chatham’s volleyball team, and was a transfer student at Chatham during the height of COVID. Her journey through transferring, friendships, sports, and her love for math has made for an exciting academic career. I enjoyed speaking with her about what she’s learned, and what she hopes for the future.
What brought you to Chatham?
I’m a transfer student, so I came my junior year. I originally went to California University, and I hated how remote it was. I really loved the surroundings of Chatham! I wanted to be in the city where things were happening and with coffee shops. Also, I thought that the people who went to Cal U were not as diverse in their thinking, that Chatham was a more diverse setting, and I knew that if I wanted to be a teacher then I had to have more diverse perspectives.
What are some of your favorite things on campus?
I’m on the volleyball team so I like the AFC. Specifically, I like the pool, because nobody is ever in it. I love that I don’t have to worry about sharing a lane which is a common thing in my hometown. Swimming is such a relaxing thing for me and the fact that I don’t have to stress about other people [is great].
How did you get into volleyball?
I’ve been playing since I was in fourth grade, and my senior year I was set to go to college for track and field. I decided I didn’t want to, and I put a bunch of videos together my senior year to play volleyball. Cal U was going to take some time for me to play there, but Chatham I could make an impact right away. I’ve been really able to live that dream of becoming an impactful player.
I like playing volleyball, it’s given me a lot. The friends I’ve made on the volleyball team have really been a foundation, and then you can grow from there. Having that surrounding has been really helpful, and the team is really good this year. We’re ranked 1st in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) this year and this would be the first time Chatham has a championship [with PAC]. That’s probably my biggest interest here.
[Editor’s note: Chatham’s women’s volleyball team achieved this shortly after the interview, and marked the first home PAC championship game in Chatham Athletics history!]
What are some of your favorite senior memories?
I’m pre-student teaching right now at Clairton High School and I’m doing my research project, which is basically like my capstone in a calculus classroom. We did the problem-solving method where the kids get to solve a murder mystery with a missing chocolate bar. It was the first time I saw kids experience the joy in learning math. That’s my ultimate goal: making sure everyone has joy in learning math.
My friends and I once had this meeting where we had teatime with all the education majors, and that’s how I became a part of that friend group. And now it’s very spontaneous and we have a lot of fun. They are truthfully some of my best friends here and I’m really thankful to Chatham for bringing me those types of people, and having people to always check up on me.
What is something you’ve learned from the math major?
What you learn in high school is a very specific type of math, but I've learned about many different realms of math that you can go in and work with, my least favorite being proofs. Learning how vast math is and that I was actually good at it was really surprising to me because I thought I was only good at certain kinds. I've been able to excel in other areas now.
What’s a class you enjoyed or would recommend?
I really loved American Writers with Dr. Tippen, which is different for a math major but she really made me enjoy writing a paper and finding resources to back my writing. I don’t think I’ve ever written a paper that good in my whole college career. She really pushed me to be a better writer. The abstracts were something that really helped organize my writing.
Coolest opportunities or experiences from Chatham and/or the math major?
Research projects, because it wasn’t something my old school really had. I liked coming up with independent work and my own solution to a problem. I have been researching teaching methods and the outcome it has and what students have. I think that these projects are really going to make me a great teacher because I have that knowledge that most students don’t really look into.
What is an accomplishment you’re proud of during your time at Chatham?
Making it through college has also just been such an accomplishment for me because I have Crohn's disease and I’m pretty proud of myself for getting through that. My whole last year, I was struggling with big flare ups and it was hard to go to classes every day. January last year I even considered a gap semester for my health. I was diagnosed in 2020, which was the first fall semester of college for me and it felt like everything kind of fell downhill.
What are your plans after graduation?
My plan as of right now is to teach for a couple years. I was told that teaching is a bit of an unreliable career; you can love it or hate it. So if I ever change my mind, I could go into statistics and analytics and get a master’s. I know I work really well with people, and probably wouldn’t fit in at a “cubicle job.” I want to still work with kids because you can inspire anyone in math if you implement it in the right way. Whether that’s opening up my own business for tutoring or [working at] a chain, that’s also something that I could do.
What's one thing you would tell your first-year self?
I would tell myself to seize the moment, because it really went by in the blink of an eye. I’ve only really had three true years of college and if I would’ve put myself out there, I could’ve made more friends and community.
Thanks to Delaney for speaking with us! If you’re interested in participating in or nominating someone for our Senior to Senior series, email us at communications@chatham.edu.
Lirit Gilmore is a Creative Writing and Food Studies student. Lirit’s academic focus is centered in food writing and how it intersects with social location and identity. She is from the DMV and the Midwest, and enjoys baking in her free time. See all her work on Pulse@ChathamU here.