The Pink Sheet brings out the best in Celia Nolan
By Stan Hudy SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Saratoga Springs sophomore Celia Nolan took advantage of the opportunity to sell The Pink Sheet to work on some of the skills that will continue to help her in school and in life.
“When you’re 14 no one really wants to higher you because you have no prior job experience, but it’s not like you can get a job because you are 14, this is the first year you can have job experience.
“Kathy Schechner (Saratogian advertising rep), Sara Schechner’s mom, we know her from when I was a little kid. My mom saw her and said ‘We saw you doing The Pink Sheet a year ago, can you hook us up with that?’
Thus began a new experience for Celia Nolan.
“I get to meet a bunch of sometimes (interesting people), but also really nice people,” Nolan said. “I know the security guard and there is this one guy who comes by and calls me ‘Smiley’ and he’s very nice.
Nolan could be starting a trend with her first job with The Pink Sheet.
“I have two sisters and two dogs,” Nolan said. “My two sisters, I love them a lot and they are like carbon copies of me as in they are also stressed out and like to do hard work, but they have different hobbies.
“I have two dogs, Bubba and Minnie. Minnie is 17. Bubba is my little baby and I love him so much.”
Offering The Pink Sheet to passersby can be intimidating and like an athlete or a performer, Nolan had to find her way to be more outgoing.
“When I was in fifth grade I was very anxious and I couldn’t talk to anyone, so my dad is like ‘Here is what you have to do Celia. You have to adopt a track persona named ‘Trudy.’
“That’s like my outgoing self when I come here and I have to hit myself over the head to yell at people.”
Nolan laughs when she talks about her ‘track persona.
“Bringing ‘Trudy’ out is a process. You have to get yourself hyped up, you have to wake up early,” Nolan said. “(Pink Sheet Kid) Allison (Bennett) called me outgoing the other day and I was like ‘Oh my god, Trudy has worked! I am so proud of her.”
It has truly broken her out of her shell.
“In my freshman year I took a public speaking class, so that has helped,” Nolan said. “If you told me four years ago ‘You’re going to be yelling at people as a job,’ I would have not believed it. I can’t even talk to people up on a stage.
“From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I am ‘Trudy’ the rest of the day I’m Celia Nolan.”
Even with her new track persona in tow, Nolan doesn’t see herself heading to the stage or screen.
“I take a lot of math and science courses, I’m taking robotics and software engineering this year,” she said. “My dream is to live in Washington, D.C. because I love all the museums there. Recently I was looking at bio statistics or biometry, but I think there is still some time.”