Saint Louis University’s Jesuit traditions teach students to put value in people. Mary Ann Crosetto cherishes them; Her easy smile and willingness to engage with others radiates a welcoming atmosphere around her. Her default behaviors are to joke and laugh, and one will never hear her boast.

A senior in the occupational therapy program at SLU, Crosetto explains her draw toward caring for others. She was initially drawn to occupational therapy because of her experiences with her younger sister. “My little sister has Down syndrome, so I watched her go through a lot of OT and in-home therapy as well as early intervention,” she said. “I never really thought it was a real profession as a kid. I just thought someone was coming to play with us.”

It was Crosetto’s mom who pointed out that occupational therapy would fit her personality, but like the typical daughter-figure, she denied her mother’s suggestion and did her own research to try to find a major that would fit better for her.

“After talking to some physical and occupational therapists, I realized that I liked the OT aspect of working on people’s goals to achieve their best possible lives with the cards they’ve been dealt,” Crosetto said. She appreciates the idea of adapting to people to give them what they need. She tumbled into SLU’s five year program and has fallen in love with the profession ever since.

Occupational therapy isn’t the only thing that shows off Crosetto’s caring and humble likeness. During Kappa Delta’s Kuts for Confidence event last semester she took a leap in solidarity and buzzed her hair for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program that provides hair for women who have lost theirs while battling cancer.

For Crosetto the decision was simply a matter of supporting her closest friend Jenna Zander, also a senior occupational therapy major at SLU and a member of Kappa Delta. Crosetto only had positive things to say of her best friend.

“We met freshman year of high school in algebra class. We both decided we were going to SLU and we decided to room together, and inevitably our friendship only got closer,” she said.

While rushing for her sorority, Zander volunteered to be the “Little Sister” for an already initiated member who was undergoing cancer treatments. Through Zander’s experiences, Crosetto got to know her as well. Zander called Crosetto while she was abroad and let her know that their mutual friend had passed away. “I just stopped. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know how to respond. I cried. She cried. It was just a lot to take on, especially being so far away from her. I knew her [Big] for moments of her life, but Jenna had such a close relationship with her,” Crosetta said.

She felt that it was this moment and journey with Zander, through her grief, that brought them closer, and forced her to truly realize what the battle with cancer can be like. When Zander made the decision to shave her head, Crosetto was right behind her.

Today Crosetto can be seen around campus sporting a steadily growing and thickening pixie haircut. She let part of herself go to support her friend and honor a girl who meant so much more to others than she could know, just one way that Crosetto cherishes people.