Shea Mahoney: Adventurous, Smart and Modest

She could ride past you on the street and you would never guess that underneath the motorcycle helmet is Shea Mahoney. She looks like any other teenager with her hazel eyes and brown hair but don’t let her appearance fool you because there is more to Shea than meets the eye. Her family and friends describe her as a risk taker who is not afraid to try anything new whether it’s meeting new people, traveling or just having fun.

Shea was born in Arlington but she grew up in Herndon, VA until she moved to Blacksburg for college. But Shea has not limited herself to Northern Virginia because one of her life’s passions is to travel around the country and the rest of the world. She has been to every state in the east coast and her family has place in South Carolina. As well she has traveled to Fiji, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, and Hawaii. She loved all the places because many of them were tropical and hopes to continue traveling in the future.

During her trip to Spain with her friends, she ended up going to Morocco without her parents even knowing. When I asked her mom how she reacted when she found out that Shea was in Morocco she said, “I was worried but I knew she would be ok because she was with a family friend.” Her mom truly believes that Shea is an independent girl, who knows how to make the right decisions. Shea is not a follower, but rather figures things out on her own through observing her surroundings.

Besides her mom, Shea’s family consists of her older brother and sister as well as her father. Shea’s mom told me that the family gets along very well and they love to travel together during the summers. I learn from Shea that her sister had graduated from Tech and her brother is a current student as well. Since both of her siblings are Hokies, it is easy to assume that’s the reason why Shea decided to come to Tech. It was interesting to learn that Tech was not Shea’s first choice even though she got in. Shea mentioned how she loved living in the city and that’s why she wanted to attend the University of Tennessee but her parents preferred that she attended school with her brother. Even though Blacksburg is not what you would call a city, it’s starting to grow on Shea and she is starting to like it. If she gets bored on the weekends she leaves.

It is not easy to tell that Shea is quite a smart girl because she is very modest about her grades and her work ethics. Shea said that many people were shocked to learn that she got admission to Virginia Tech. Many people seemed shocked because they were unaware that Shea worked really hard throughout high school but never took the time to brag. Setting high expectations is a strength that many people hope to possess, but her mom views it as being a somewhat of a weakness. Her mom says she is very proud that Shea is able to motivate herself to meet her high expectations but feels that Shea is really hard on herself because she doesn’t give herself as much credit as she should. I noticed that Shea is very humble about her work ethics and grades when she was interviewed. I learned more about this through her best friend since 7th grade, Paige, who said if Shea could be described in one world it would be hard working.

Currently, Shea hopes to major in Sociology and eventually work for the government. She said, “I want to work for the FBI because I like risk and thrill of this kind of job.” At the moment Shea is not participating in any campus extracurricular activity but really wants to join Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, which is one of the most intense programs on campus. Despite the intensity of the Program, Shea knows she can do it and she would love to be part of the Squad because it would be a great thrill. Her mom would agree that Shea would be great on the Rescue Squad because she knows that Shea never hesitates on trying new things, which includes making friends.
Both her roommate and her friend describe her as being very hardworking, independent and organized as well as very fun and outgoing person. Her mom mentioned that Shea makes friends easily because she such an open person. She doesn’t become friends with people right away but rather takes her time to get to know people without judging them. With her friends Shea likes to hang out, watch movies, go out to eat and go camping. Her best friend Paige said that she couldn’t imagine how her summers would have been if Shea was not her best friend. She said, “My life would be completely different without Shea. My summers would have been extremely boring and I probably wouldn't be the same person I am today.” Even though she has moved away from Paige, they are still very close and keep in contact. Even her mom noticed that Shea has not changed since she has moved away for college.

Shea is a very unique person and there is probably not anyone else in the world that is like her. Her adventurous spirit, work ethics and humbleness truly make her standout among her friends and peers. Her love for travelling and exploring new places and adventurous character will allow her to be a great FBI agent or anything else she decides to be. There are many things people can learn from Shea and that is to have fun and take risks because there is no lost in trying to new things. Like the quote, “Reach for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars.”