Typically student athletes can be looked at as the stars of their campus. We can sometimes hold them in such high regard for their accomplishments in their respective sports and treat them like movie stars especially if they are the face of their team.
Caitlyn Poole is an athlete who should be held in high regard and praised for her actions but not only for the actions that she displays on the lacrosse field. She doesn’t fall the least bit short to the definition of a well-rounded person. Poole, being a sophomore here at Cabrini College, is already making the most of her college experience and doesn’t let the excuse of only having two years of campus experience stand in her way.
As an education major, Poole is looking to use her major as a stepping-stone by which she can make a difference.
“I am elementary and special-ed. (major), I also want to go into getting an ELL certification, which is English as a second language,” Poole said.
“I do have a deep desire to work with children with disabilities because I work with them a lot over the summer.”
Her desire to help children with disabilities and needs propelled her to attend the Swaziland trip that Cabrini College had to offer.
“We went to work at a teen camp so the ages were from 16 to 21,” Poole said.
“It was kind of like a life skills based camp so we helped them gain skills so that they would be able to go out into a work place. Business skills, resumes, simple stuff like that is why we went and worked with them.”
As she continued working with the people of Swaziland it gave her more of a world mind-set rather than an American mind-set. She was taken away about how similar the teenagers were to herself and those here in America.
“Having a chance to work with a different set of age groups. Seeing how when I was a teen and how I reacted in the classroom and seeing their different reactions in the classroom,” Poole said.
“They’re not much different than any teen here. It was surprising to see.”
As Poole continues her college journey in the education field, she is following in the footsteps of her mother, Colleen Poole. Colleen Poole is an instructor at Cabrini College and works in the education department as a field experience supervisor for the sophomores and juniors in the field. Some college students leave home in order to get away from their parents. However, Poole embraces her mom being around and sees it as a huge positive.
“I really enjoy it,” Poole said. “It’s not something that makes me uncomfortable, it’s actually something that makes me more comfortable because I am able to walk around and know so many faces because I have been here for so long.
Poole is very familiar with Cabrini College because she has been around the campus with her mother ever since she was 3. So the decision to attend Cabrini wasn’t a difficult one to make especially since everything fell right into place.
Poole wanted to continue her lacrosse career collegiately and she was able to do just that. Prior to Cabrini, a coach of hers knew Cabrini’s head coach, Jackie Neary, previously and Poole used that to show interest in wanting to join the team.
“She actually roomed with Jackie as a roommate and that kind of built my interest of the lacrosse team,” Poole said.
“So I came here a few times to watch the lacrosse team play and because my mom works here it was an easy contact for me to get in touch with Jackie.”
One thing that stands out about Poole is that she doesn’t let athletics get in the way of her commitment as a student. She is very active on Cabrini’s campus and is involved in different clubs. She is a part of the cabinet for the student athlete advisory committee and works on Relay for Life. She also is trying to revive the Cabrini friends and exceptional children’s club. Due to her love for children she wants to turn the club into a buddy program for kids.
She has a lot on her plate but despite how stressful her schedule may be between sports and school, she doesn’t view it negatively.
“I like keeping busy, I like going from one thing to another,” Poole said.
“When it comes to the (lacrosse) season I become a better student athlete because it keeps me busy, keeps me more organized and it keeps me on top of my work.”
It’s rare to find a person who can juggle sports and be an active student as well, but as you can see Caitlyn Poole is an extremely rare individual.
As a loving daughter to Cabrini’s very own education instructor, a fierce lacrosse competitor who is always looking to get better and a student whose sole purpose is to get an education to help educate others, Caitlyn Poole should be commended. She has lived up to the definition of a selfless, superb human being and with two whole years left in her college stint, the future is bright.
