Chelsea Arnold
Quick Fact
B.A., summa cum laude, Psychology and Forensic Psychology, Criminal Justice, 2022
“Civility allows for our humanity to flourish by exercising mutual respect and empathy toward a diverse range of opposing perspectives. ”
Service & Work:
Co-Creator and Co-Director, Civility Pledge Project, 2020–Present
Teaching Assistant, Alfie Scholars Program, 2020–2022
Teaching Assistant, Statistics & Research in Psychology, Winter & Spring Quarters, 2022
Volunteer, Seattle Homeless Outreach, 2019–Present
Awards & Honors:
Gaffney Award, highest GPA, Department of Psychology
Kelliher Award, highest GPA, Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, & Forensics
President, Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society, 2021–2022
Ignatian Leader, 2021–2022
Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
President’s List, Fall, Winter, & Spring Quarters, 2020–2022
Member, Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society
Co-creator and co-director, Civility Pledge Project, 2020–2022
Presentations & Publications:
Overlooked and Untreated Police Officer Mental Health: A Crucial Consideration in the Era of Reform, Chelsea Arnold, Seattle University, August 2020.
Unjust and Unethical: The Endless Punishment of U.S. Sex Offenders, Chelsea Arnold, Seattle University, August 2021.
Chelsea’s Story
Chelsea is a non-traditional, older student who started her college journey in the Fall of 2016 at Edmonds Community College before applying to Seattle University. For a significant portion of her adult life, she did not have the confidence to pursue her dream of going back to school, afraid of failure, rejection, and feeling like a misfit. Moreover, she was especially afraid of her ability to pass a math class, a subject she has always considered herself to be weak in. However, today, Chelsea is a statistics and research TA for the psychology program at Seattle University, helping other students build confidence in their own mathematical abilities. Furthermore, Chelsea is graduating at the top of her class in both of her major programs, and as a result, is receiving two awards for the highest GPA. Throughout her time at Seattle University, Chelsea has exceeded her expectations of what she could accomplish, such as becoming an Alfie Scholar, an Ignatian Leader, and the president of Alpha Sigma Nu, as well as co-creating the COVID-19 Civility Pledge, and working for the lovely Paula Lustbader. Thus, one of the most important lessons that Chelsea has learned during her time at Seattle University is to never write herself off if there is an opportunity she wants to pursue. After graduation, Chelsea will be preparing for the LSAT with the plan of going to law school in 2023.
Goals:
My goal is to advocate for the need to address mental health as a regular part of self-care. By becoming a clinical psychologist, I will be able to administer care in areas of our society where the stigmatization of mental health can be most detrimental to an individual and the community.
On Civility:
Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asked the question “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” The greatest lessons in civility do not rest with those that we find it easy to be kind to; rather, the true nature of civility presents itself in compassion toward those we do not understand. Civility is the acknowledgment of one another’s humanity, despite how strongly we may disagree. Our humanity is our ability to disagree, to have opinions, to exchange ideas, and ultimately to learn from one another. If we are only willing to have constructive conversations with those that agree with us, how will we grow? Civility allows for our humanity to flourish by exercising mutual respect and empathy toward a diverse range of opposing perspectives.
