If you are ever having a bad day and just need a cheerful smile to brighten up your day, head on over to Mattson Hall. Where is Mattson Hall again and why on earth should I walk all the way over there, you ask yourself? Well, this is where Senior Elementary Education Major Chelsea Roberts spends most of her time in classes and lesson planning.

“Chelsea works quietly behind the scenes to get things done, and she doesn’t like to brag about herself. She cares deeply about kids, and she puts them first. She wants to know as much as she can about them,” Elementary Education Professor Jill Potts said. When Chelsea is not busy working away in Mattson Hall, she spends time singing in the Lucia Singers and is an active member of the Tri Sigma Sorority.
“I have been singing in Lucia all four years at Gustavus, and I just love it. Trish [conductor of the Lucia Singers] is really amazing and really cares about us. She is one of the reasons I have been a part of Lucia all four years,” Chelsea said.

“When I think of Chelsea, I always think of her warmth and of her easy smile. She is generous, open and very interested in the people around her. I have been so pleased that, even though she has been incredibly busy with her academic work and with her activities across campus, that she has remained a member of the Lucia Singers,” Dr. Patricia Snapp, conductor of the Lucia Singers, said.

“As a [first-year] coming into choir, Chelsea was always so welcoming, inviting and helpful. She really made me feel as though I was immediately part of the group. Chelsea has used her seniority to take on a large leadership role within the choir; she is always willing to share her experience and help lead the underclassmen. She is so friendly and fun,” Lydia Benge Briggs, a first-year communication studies major and Lucia Singers member said.

Chelsea is an active member in the Tri Sigma Sorority, and her involvement in Greek life has connected her to the St. Peter community and has given her opportunities to volunteer and serve. “The Tri Sigmas has been a great place to meet people [who] I otherwise would not have known, and I really respect what our sorority stands for,” Chelsea said.

Over the past five years, Chelsea has been promoting the awareness of ALS, a neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Chelsea’s involvement in the Tri Sigmas has been another opportunity for her to spread awareness of this disease. The Tri Sigmas have helped by getting involved in the ALS Walk that is being held this Saturday at Mankato West High School.

ALS affects the motor neurons and eventually paralyzes the person. The disease is terminal, and patients usually have about two to five years to live after they are diagnosed with ALS.

“They think it is linked to a specific gene and is hereditary, but it can also be sporadic. That is why it is so scary. The signs for ALS are unobtrusive. There is no testing for it, and you don’t really know you have it until it becomes really progressed. We didn’t know my dad had ALS until he became very sick,” Chelsea said.

Chelsea’s dad was diagnosed with ALS when she was in sixth grade and passed away when she was in eighth grade. Chelsea described her dad as a man who loved to fish, hunt and be outdoors. “I remember my dad taking me on canoeing and camping trips and singing me to sleep at night,” Chelsea said.

“There are a lot of illnesses out there that do not have a cure, but if we band together we could find one,” Chelsea said.

“If Chelsea wants something, she makes it happen. She is determined, and that is a great characteristic to have in teaching and life,” Potts said. To help this determined young woman find a cure for ALS, please join her this Saturday at Mankato West High School for a three mile walk to raise money and awareness for ALS. There is no registration fee, but donations are accepted and encouraged. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and the walk starts at 10:00 a.m. Chelsea will be walking with her mom, her two brothers Evan and Jacob and several aunts and uncles in honor of her father’s memory.

“Chelsea is a very special person, and I wish her not only the joy of dreams fulfilled, but also the strength heart and of mind and the tenacity needed to achieve those dreams,” Snapp said.