Natalee Deaette (Lee Pellegrini)
Hometown: Newport Center, Vt.
Major: Applied Psychology and Human Development; minor in Leadership in Higher Education and Community Settings
Notable Achievements/Activities: 2018 Truman Scholar; Alpha Sigma Nu National Honor Society; St. Ignatius Award-Personal Development; representative, Student Affairs Advisory Board; Emerging Leader Program senior coordinator; chief of staff, Undergraduate Government of Boston College; house manager, Robsham Theater Arts Center; teaching assistant, Courage to Know; studied abroad at Greece’s American College of Thessaloniki.
Post-Graduation Plans: Spending the summer in Washington, D.C., as a public policy and communications intern for the Council for Opportunity in Education through the Truman Summer Institute; seeking a full-time higher education position in Boulder, Colo., starting in August. Graduate school to follow.
Natalee Deaette, a first-generation college student, has demonstrated a tremendous passion for college access and equity during her four years at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, best exemplified by her service with a Vermont-based, federally funded Upward Bound program, which prepares low-income, first-generation high school students for postsecondary education. She is invested in finding and developing solutions for inequitable access to higher education in the frequently overlooked and underserved population of rural, low-income high school students, a reflection of her own background.
How has BC made a difference in your life?
BC has been a transformative experience. Where I grew up, opportunities like the ones available at BC were few and far between, specifically, to meaningfully engage in service. When I was in high school, service was little more than a bullet point you’d add to your resume. My BC experiences have completely transformed this definition into one that is no longer self-serving, but instead reciprocal. I’m grateful to BC for creating an environment in which everyone on campus, both students and staff, find joy and fulfillment in responding to social injustice and standing in solidarity with people who are marginalized. This is a lesson I will take with me wherever I go.
Who has had the greatest influence on you during your time at BC?
I’ve had a lot of mentors, but the one who has had the greatest influence on me is Lynch School Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Services Julia DeVoy. I first met her as a sophomore when I took her Child Growth and Development course, and she has been in my corner ever since. In hearing her story, which is quite similar to my own, I’ve come to see her as a role model. She has never once doubted my abilities; instead, she’s encouraged me to pursue more than I ever envisioned myself capable of, including applying for the Truman and writing my senior thesis. I can’t imagine what my BC experience would have been like without her support.
Another person who’s been important to me, although I just met her this year, is Office for Student Involvement Assistant Director for Leadership Development Kat Waxstein, who really took me under her wing, and empowered and encouraged me in so many ways. She has been an incredible mentor and I am so grateful that I had the chance to work with her in my role as ELP coordinator.
Your commitment to positive social change led to your selection as a 2018 Truman Scholar. How did the Truman award impact your life?
Being selected as a Truman Scholar gave me a greater sense of my own worth. Imposter syndrome is real, and I spent my first few years feeling like I was accepted to BC because I “defied the odds” and achieved more than low-income kids are expected to, but not because I outshined other applicants on my own merit. Receiving the Truman was a wake-up call and a message that I belong, and that was truly empowering.
What will you miss most about BC?
I will miss being surrounded by so much passion and commitment. I know it seems clichéd, but BC students really embody our motto of “Ever to Excel.” From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I’ve been so impressed and inspired by the BC student body and the incredible things that everyone does for the causes they care about. I can easily say that I’ve learned just as much from the students at BC as I have from the faculty and staff, and I’ll miss that a lot.
Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | May 2019