About Kelsey

Hey hi hello. My name is Kelsey Beth Deters.

My middle name is my mother’s first name, and her middle name was my grandmother’s first name. Did you follow that sentence? It’s okay if you didn’t. I was born and raised in Quincy, IL, a tiny city on the bluffs of the Mighty Mississippi. I most often describe Quincy to outsiders as “The Stars Hollow of the Midwest”. It’s a town full of eccentric characters, but it’s home. As this is my second Gilmore Girls reference in this post, I’ll go ahead and also proclaim that I’ve seen each episode of the show at least a dozen times and I can quote most of them along with the actors. 

I’m very close to my parents, who also live in Quincy, and my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces who are just a few hours away. My extended family is MASSIVE. Seriously, when I was growing up, I used to have to run people I wanted to date by my family to make sure we weren’t distantly related. Being an aunt is my favorite job ever. I love those little nuggets to pieces. 

I left Quincy after high school and attended Webster University. I started my college career in the Webster Conservatory as a Directing major, then decided I wanted to major in Public Relations, and finally landed on Women and Gender Studies as my degree path (anyone who tells you that you can’t change your mind about your life path is wrong – don’t listen to them). I still have my nose pierced, I wear a lot of flannel, and I am a raging feminist, so college really shaped the person I am today. 

Since graduating from college, I’ve worked for several nonprofits in Quincy. I’ve always been incredibly involved in the arts, primarily theatre and music, and now I’m working at a visual fine art center in Quincy. I think that the arts as a whole, have the power to change the world for the better. I’m still not entirely sure what I want to do with my life, job-wise, but I’ve finally learned that not knowing and accepting new adventures as they come along is an incredibly powerful thing. 

I love to bake. My chocolate chip cookies are legendary. I said that super humbly. You all got that, right? I also love to travel. My walls are filled with pictures from far off places that I one day hope to see again. Scotland is the place I feel most at home that isn’t my home (if that makes sense). I am also obsessed with Disney World. One of our bucket list items as a couple is to go to all of the Disney Parks around the globe. Spending time with friends and family is a major part of my life as well. Experiencing new places and having close and meaningful relationships with the people I love is what makes life worth living for me.