Casey Coleman ’17 was awarded the University’s Outstanding Bravery Award for displaying consistent courage on campus.

From the start of her time at the University, Coleman has been a true pioneer. As a first-year, Coleman never ate in the caf. Instead, she chose to take her meals in the Bison, among upperclassmen. More impressive, Coleman dared to eat her wraps alone, even without her laptop open. While her friends offered to accompany her, Coleman politely shrugged them off.

“I would describe myself as a lone wolf. I use meals as periods of reflection,” Coleman said.

Over the course of the last four years, Coleman has never stopped defying University norms. Rather than walking to class on the paved sidewalks, Coleman walks through the quad guided by efficiency, following the Pythagorean theorem diagonally through the grass, rain or shine.

“Casey beats me to class every morning. When I see her walking on campus, she’s usually the only one on the grass. Her shoes are usually muddy, but she has never been late. What a gal,” Kevin Krebs ’17 said admiringly.

Coleman’s peers have described her as a social butterfly. In the classroom, she always partners with someone she doesn’t know, and uses the opportunity to make a new friend. She goes to her date parties alone, because she doesn’t want to talk to just one person all night. In an age of increased social awkwardness, Coleman’s courage and willingness to interact with other human beings is both unique and admirable.

“Casey is the nicest girl I have ever met. She knows everyone at the University and always says hello to me when I see her. Nobody does that around here. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this prestigious award,” Grace Graham ’19 said.

It is easy to see why Coleman is being honored for Outstanding Bravery. Coleman does what many of us cannot on a daily basis. She couldn’t care less what people think, and she lives life her way. Coleman’s achievement is a reminder to all of us that we are individuals and should be true to ourselves. She urges students to follow her lead by treating themselves to a solo date at Amami, cartwheeling down the quad, or any activity that varies from the University’s typically strict unspoken social code.