Known for her boisterous therapy dogs and creation of Wellness Club, Mrs. Richelsen aka Mama Rich has a unique backstory that has brought her to the Victor foreign language wing today. 

Originally born in Greece, Mrs. Richelsen has traveled back to Greece multiple times and recently had the trip of a lifetime over the summer.

Being able to watch her children interact with distant family essentially living “parallel lives” and instantly connecting was, “amazing to watch,” and “it was although they’ve known each other their entire lives.” 

Along with living in Greece, Mrs. Richelsen has also lived in Spain and obviously the United States. When she first moved to the United States, she was thrown into kindergarten not speaking a word of English which was “incredibly traumatizing”, and that is why she relates to her students so much trying to learn a different language. 

In Greece when Mrs. Richelsen was growing up there were still major gender roles, so college was never even a thought. She always thought she would be working in her family’s restaurant or being a stay at home mother. A college degree was never a thought until in junior year of high school Mr. Richelsen was wondering why Mrs. Richelsen had not begun any of her college applications.

Mrs. Richeslen never imagined attending college, and always imagined herself being a mother and at most a secretary until her husband, Mr. Richelsen, claimed that she had too much potential to not get a higher education.

Mrs. Richelsen ended up applying to Cortland without her parents knowing and after getting accepted went to college to major in Spanish. Mrs. Richelsen originally got a degree in order to be an interpreter, and eventually went back to college to gain her teaching degree when her children were older. 

Ever since Mrs. Richelsen got her teaching degree, she has been with us at Victor Senior High School, teaching Spanish.

Mrs. Richelsen created and currently runs the Wellness Club. In 2019 right before Covid hit she proposed a Wellness Club to Mr. Siesto, as a way for students to relax and escape the stress of school, while enjoying the presence of some adorable golden retrievers. 

Essentially, Blue and Dawkins, Mrs. Richelsen’s therapy dogs are the reason that she was inspired to create the Wellness Club. 

Mrs. Richelsen’s kindness and commitment to the Wellness Club and her students is what led me to choose her to interview. Wellness Club is always accepting new members if you are interested. Mrs. Richelsens lightheartedness, kindness, and motherly love to her students truly demonstrates her nickname,  Mama Rich.