Schuyler Tansey is an elementary education student at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, with roots in midtown Manhattan, New York City. She began her collegiate path at Tulane University before transferring to Xavier to pursue the specific field she had already decided on: elementary education. That kind of early clarity about professional direction is uncommon, and it has shaped how she moves through her studies. She also completed a semester abroad at Richmond University in London, adding an international lens to her understanding of teaching and learning systems. Beyond the classroom, Schuyler has dedicated significant time to community service, volunteering across West Virginia, New Jersey, and New York through organizations focused on housing, outreach, and youth support. She approaches both her studies and her service with a philosophy grounded in patience, consistency, and the belief that meaningful work requires genuine investment.
Schuyler Tansey on What Success Actually Looks Like
How do you personally define success at this stage of your life?
For me, success right now means making progress toward a career where I can actually help people and enjoy doing it. That combination matters more to me than titles or status. If I can finish my education degree, step into a classroom, and feel like what I’m doing is meaningful, that’s the goal. Success doesn’t have to look dramatic. It can just look like doing what you set out to do.
You made a deliberate decision to transfer universities to pursue elementary education. What drove that?
Tulane didn’t have the program I needed, and I already knew what I wanted to study. So the choice wasn’t difficult, even if the logistics of transferring can be. I wasn’t going to study something adjacent just because it was more convenient. If I’m going to commit to a career working with children, I want the training that matches that commitment. Xavier had the program. That’s where I went.
What has been the hardest part of your path so far?
Adjusting to different environments has been a real part of it. Going from Manhattan to New Orleans to Cincinnati to London and back is a lot of transitions. Each one requires you to reset. You lose some of your routine, some of your community, and you have to rebuild. I’ve learned that the rebuilding is actually where a lot of growth happens, but it’s not easy while you’re in it.
How has your volunteer work shaped how you think about success?
Working in places like Mingo County or Camden changes your frame of reference. When you volunteer in a community that’s dealing with real resource scarcity, your definition of a good outcome becomes more concrete. Did we get the work done? Did it help? That’s the measure. I carry that into how I think about what I want to do as a teacher. The question isn’t whether the lesson plan looked good on paper. It’s whether the child actually understood something they didn’t understand before.
What habits or practices keep you on track?
I use breathing techniques and regular exercise to stay grounded. It sounds simple, but when you’re managing a full course load, volunteer commitments, and the general uncertainty of being a student, you need systems to come back to. Physical movement helps me think more clearly and deal with stress without letting it accumulate.
How do you think about failure and setbacks?
I try to keep them proportional. Not every setback is a crisis. Some things don’t work out, and you adjust. I’ve had to change plans and redirect more than once. What I’ve found is that if I stay honest about what went wrong and keep pushing forward, things usually stabilize. The key is not spiraling when something goes sideways.
What does the work ethic look like for you in practice?
I believe in working hard and then actually resting. You can’t sustain effort indefinitely without recovery, and I think a lot of people underestimate how much rest matters. I try to be fully present in the work when I’m working, and then genuinely step away when I’m done. That balance isn’t always easy to find, but I think it’s necessary.
What would you tell someone who is still figuring out what they want to do?
Start paying attention to what you keep coming back to, even without being asked. For me, it was working with kids and being in communities where people were trying to solve real problems. Once I recognized that pattern, the decision about what to study became a lot clearer. The answer is usually already there. You just have to be honest about what you actually care about.