In honor of Christopher graduating from St. Olaf College this weekend, I thought it was only appropriate to dedicate this week's post to him. Many people choose a parent when they are asked who their role model is, but for me, it is my brother. Christopher and I have always grown up close, and I am so grateful to have a big brother that has always set the bar high for me. He is an inspiration to anyone who meets him, and always strives to do his best. It is no surprise to me that he has completed four strong years at St. Olaf, and this is only the beginning of his incredible journey as he is moving on to start his big boy job at Optum this summer, and move into a house! That being said, here are the reasons why I am proud to say I am related to this dude, and why he is my role model.
1. A built in buddy
This topic can date all the way back to our younger days. Even though I did not have a choice to be stuck with him at home, even if I did have the choice, I would choose him to be the person I wanted to hang out around. We would spend hours in our basement playing basketball on the mini hoop, scootering down the hill in front of our house, playing night games, and he even went along with playing "Pretty Pretty Princess" when it was my turn to pick out the board game. In addition to that, I would sit next to him while he played the Backyard Baseball video game on the computer just to be next to him, and I also pitched a tent in his room one night for a sleepover. Being gullible was something that was inevitable when I was with him just because I clung to every word that came out of his mouth. I thought he was the best chef in the world, especially when he made "waffle sticks" aka cutting up an Eggo waffle into pieces. I swore that they tasted better than a normal waffle. I have looked up to him ever since I can remember, even to the point where he convinced me to jump off a jungle gym which led me to breaking my foot because the dump truck he set there at the bottom would "break my fall" as he said. He got the break part right. Christopher over the years has stepped in to come to events with me when I didn't want to go alone, no matter what they were. He has also been my partner for cheesy pictures that our mom makes us take like you see above. I enjoy the years we have spent growing up and spending time together, and it will definitely be weird not having my partner in crime live in the room next to me from now on.
2. Never settles
If you look up the word "work ethic" in the dictionary, Christopher Casey is the definition. It is almost tiring for me to watch him do what he does day in and day out, and not just for school. From as far back as I can remember, he has never settled for anything less than perfect, and I think that is why I have developed my crazy work ethic as well. When he is unsure of something, he will ask for help from others, and he always goes the extra mile even when he doesn't want to. He told me once that he went into a professor for help so much that they told him to stop coming in. This is something that I have always admired, because I on the other hand am not as good at this as he is. His work ethic and drive has led him to some pretty great opportunities such as meeting celebrities for our high school news show as well as creating a school wide lip dub for a Katy Perry Contest, internships in downtown Minneapolis, the Mayo Clinic, and of course a US Bank Future Leader that got to witness the Superbowl up close and personal. For those who have met my brother, you will know that this short little paragraph does not do him justice.
3. Selfless
When it comes to Christopher, helping out others is something that he excels at. He always is putting others before himself, and wanting others to be happy. A good example of this is the job that he had in high school. He worked with River Valley Project Explore which is an organization that puts on fun events for adults with special needs. Christopher was by far the most popular staff member due to the fact that all of the attendees got excited to see him every time they saw him. He is so good with people, and easy to talk to. To this day, the members of the organization still get excited to see him whenever he goes back to visit. It is because of his talent in connecting with people that he was approached by St. Olaf to be a tour guide, and is still requested to come give tours to prospective students from time to time. There have been a number of times where he has put my needs before his, both big and small, yet he never gets upset. It is hard to find a brother that willingly does that, and because of this, it has taught me to return the favor and try to be as giving as he is.
4. Team Player
This can be applied to him both literally and figuratively. I have logged many many many many hours of baseball games, traveling basketball tournaments, hockey games, and soccer games over the years, and have made sure to make it clear that I have done so. Christopher on the other hand, has sat through 4 hour gymnastics meets watching the same routines over and over again, and hasn't complained once. He goes with the flow and supports me with whatever I do, so I have tried to limit the complaining, but I am sorry bro, I can never get back those hours of my life sitting in the rain and cold watching baseball. In a literal sense, Christopher truly is a student athlete. Through every sport he did, he was always quick, and powerful (except gymnastics, it is a good thing you quit that). He did everything he could to improve his game, which is why we have a homemade batting cage in our basement with so many contraptions that helped him practice his swing. It is because of him that I decided to try softball and basketball when I was younger, and that I put my whole heart and effort into gymnastics. And it is because of him that I decided to pick up road biking, which I can't help but laugh every time he tips over when he can't get his shoes out of the clips in time. His demonstrations of good sportsmanship may have gone unnoticed to coaches and teammates along the way, but it was always noticed by me.
5. Relationships with others
My brother is the most personable person that I know. Everywhere I go, there is at least one person yelling "hey, Chris!" and he waves back all casual. The first thought I often have is how weird it is that he goes by Chris because I would never dare call him that. Secondly, I am always impressed by the relationships he has made with his professors, and other adults that he has come in contact with. It is because of him that our kindergarten teacher (above) still stays in contact with us, and his preschool teacher has become such a close family friend. He isn't afraid to reach out and get to know someone because he is truly interested in getting to know who they are and their interests. In this day and age, I find that pretty uncommon for people to be comfortable connecting with others and developing strong relationships. This skill that he has, has helped him network and led him to the great business and professional opportunities. While I try to follow his example, this one is actually hard to do because it requires easing out of the comfort zone a bit, but as Christopher has shown, it pays off in the end. Again, another example where he goes the extra mile.
6. Adventurous
Christopher has demonstrated his ability to go out of his comfort zone in multiple situations, but his ability to go with the flow and try something new is impeccable when it comes to being with his friends. The friends he has made at St. Olaf are a very special group that have stuck together since his freshman year of college, and the stories he has told me of their adventures are really something. Over the years, they have gone swing dancing in the caves, salsa dancing, serenaded people around campus while blasting music out of his little Ford Focus, took a day to go ride the rides at MOA, hosted a radio show on campus, set up "stadium seating" in his apartment aka put the couch on top of the table (as seen above), hosted a KY Derby party, biked 100 miles in one day, did a warrior dance in a skirt, dressed up just to go to a fast food restaurant, and many more St. Olaf weekend dances that I usually get odd snapchats from. He has so many crazy stories, that I am not even surprised whenever he tells me one of his new strange encounters. I hope to make lifelong friends like he has during college, as well as take advantage of every opportunity to try something new no matter how strange.
7. His style
In preschool, Christopher used to carry around a comb in his back pocket and ask his teachers if his hair was ok. While he no longer carries a comb in his pocket, he still is always looking spiffy. He was never one to wear sweatpants to school, and that is something that I have always looked up to. From his American Eagle phase, to Polo, to Lululemon, and Hammermade, it makes it a lot harder for me to afford his wish list as the years go on! One thing that a lot of guys don't do is ask for fashion advice such as if the shirt matches his colored shorts, or what tie would go best with his suit. He has a pair of shorts in every color you can think of, including pink which are my favorite ones. A guy that values how he looks is hard to come by, but this was also something that my Grandad did as well. Christopher has gotten some unique pieces from my Grandad such as white Bucks, fancy wallets, belts, you name it. Being mistaken as his twin is definitely a compliment for me. I am truly impressed that he has given multiple campus tours while wearing Sperrys all day every day to the point where they have no life left in them. And as much as I admire his effort to always look good, I am completely happy in my sweats! All power to you, bro. Not going to lie though, you make me want to step up my game a bit.
8. His values
This is probably the aspect that has been most impactful on me, and the reason he is my role model. You never really know how much a sibling can impact you until you take a step back and look at it. Regarding his values, he has always done everything right, followed the rules no matter how hard, and has a strong faith. I strongly believe that he is the reason that I hold the values that I do as well. I will admit that I often times compare myself to him in times that I should realize that we are two different people, but when it comes to this, I don't mind trying to follow the example he has set for me. It is comforting knowing that he has cleared a path for me to follow, and that the path is a successful one to stay on. He is so humble in everything he does, it amazes me just how great of a person he is. Christopher is truly one of a kind, and anyone who has the pleasure of knowing him can agree with me.
9. Handling conflict
So far I may have led you on to believe that Christopher and I are always on cloud 9, but as all siblings do, we have our conflicts.Usually these consist of our St. Olaf-Gustavus rivalry that goes on at home, disputes over homework that he is trying to help me with and I'm being a bit stubborn, or cat fights over trying to persuade him to delete an ugly picture he jokingly snapped of me. He does his fair share of picking on his little sister, but I make sure I get back at him too. Even through all this, he is always the one to apologize first at the end, and no matter how mad I may make him, he holds his composure. Our little conflicts are never actually about serious matters, it always ends up with us laughing at each other in the end (except when he bit me when I was little). It is refreshing to be able to say that my brother and I get along, because most brother-sister combos can get pretty nasty. His ability to handle conflict doesn't just stay between us, it generalizes to all situations, and even when something is going on that would make me extremely mad, he can keep himself together.
10. Brotherly love
I never have to question how much Christopher cares for me as his sister. I can still remember every time I would see him in the halls at Thomas Lake Elementary. I would yell his name and he would never hesitate in coming over to give his little sister a hug. Even throughout middle school, and high school, I would get excited whenever I came across him in the hall. Often times there is the stereotype that the little sister isn't cool to hang around or is embarrassing, but I never got that vibe from him. He welcomed me to hang out with him when I wanted to, and he still invites me to join him and his friends. It is the little things he does that lets me know how much he cares such as asking me if he can put the windows down in the car in case I didn't want to mess my hair up, paying for my meals, sending me good luck texts when I have a test, helping me with econ homework, yelling goodnight from his room every night when we were little, saving all his notes from his previous classes, being my partner for piano duets, letting me choose where we get to eat, and his thoughtful gifts he has given me for a number of occasions. Lastly, he is my protective big brother. He will never let me crash and burn, and as he has shown throughout the years, he will always be there for me when I need help. I also look for his approval for some things just because I know his judgements and intentions are pure. There are just some things that a brother knows best.
I am so proud of you, Christopher. I hope to be as successful and optimistic as you are as I finish out my last years of college. I have witnessed all your school graduations, and this being the last one, I am astonished at all you have accomplished as a student. You are going to help so many people, and I am grateful to call you my big brother, my role model, my friend, and my supporter. There has never been a time where I haven't felt a sense of pride when I say you are my brother, so thanks for being related to me. Even though adulting comes with you not being around as much, I have already developed the "WWCD?"- What would Christopher do? strategy to help me whenever you aren't around, and it hasn't failed me yet because you have never failed me. Thank you for being such a good example for me, and for being the best big brother and awesome graduate that a sister could ever ask for!..P.S. I still can't believe you thought that was you on the left.
GO GUSTIES!...and Oles.
~Lauren