Chalee Hettinger is a senior majoring in integrated language arts with adolescents to young adults (AYA Grades 7-12). Born and raised in Lucasville, Chalee is the youngest of four and attended Valley Elementary and Middle School before graduating from Valley High School. After graduating from Shawnee State University, Chalee wants to stay in Lucasville and teach the next generation in the Valley local school district. She has known she wanted to teach since she was a child, and watching her niece grow up was a huge inspiration for her to never quit until she reaches her goal.
Her hobbies include sports, music and spending time with her significant other. Her favorite thing to do is to attend music concerts. Chalee is in touch with local happenings and is always interested in new things to see and do in her community, and that interest translates well to her plans for future stories as a reporter for the Shawnee Chronicle. Chalee describes herself as hard-working, goal-driven and “basic-with-flair” (with emphasis on flair). Chalee earned the Shawnee Success Award and, with it, a scholarship, so “basic” might be better replaced with “modest.”
Chalee is very family-oriented, and a lot of her ambition and support comes from her two older brothers and her older sister. As the youngest, she watched her two brothers and her father succeed without going to college, and while she supports anyone’s pursuit of higher education (including her own), she believes not enough support is given to students who choose not to pursue a college degree. This belief is the main reason she wants to become a high school teacher, so she can be a pillar of support for students who choose not to go to university but still want to be successful.