Chelsea won't be the one to tell you she's an accomplished woman. "I just do what I have to do" she says to me over the phone while sitting on a curb in Toronto. Upon first speaking with Chelsea, one thing is clear; this woman is motivated, focused and ambitious. I'm quite sure that in five lifetimes one could not do all she has done.
At just sixteen years of age, Chelsea became the Chairperson of the Mayor’s Student Advisory Committee in Mississauga. The committee advocated for health, environmental, transportation, and political issues that affect youth. She spearheaded a program that reached out to schools in Mississauga, designating student liaisons who identified youth issues, and worked toward developing and implementing solutions.
When she became a student at the University of Waterloo, she decided to continue her outreach work by founding and leading a student mayoral advisory council in her new home, Waterloo. Not only did she provide a voice for students at the University of Waterloo, but she also organized events and committees with the goal of bonding post-secondary students within the Kitchener and Waterloo area.
As part of her master’s program, through her work with the Centre of Advancement for Female Entrepreneurship, she was a mentor to a student from Al Ain University in Abu, Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She also contributed to the curriculum for a business certification course to empower women in Abu Dhabi.
Since her university days, Chelsea has worked in marketing, film production, civic and youth engagement, business management and event planning. She's worked with youth in the Jane-Finch community of Toronto through the Youth Unlimited Blueprints program, which empowers youth through life skill and entrepreneurial training and mentorship.
Chelsea’s extensive work demonstrates her biggest passions: building community and allowing that community to have a voice. She explains, "I believe I have been tasked with the mission to help individuals and communities develop their gifts and voice as well as establish forums in which they can be heard.”
Her work with youth is extremely important to her because she believes that children are more in tune with the gifts they are born with. It is important for parents and teachers to recognize and foster these gifts at a young age, through mentorship and support. She is in tune with her own gifts because she has been blessed with great mentors in her community and family, in Mississauga as well as at the University of Waterloo.
The future is wide open for Chelsea. She looks forward to continuing her current work which includes being a Talent Wrangler on CBC's hit show Battle of the Blades, and developing The Adva Effect, a company that produces informative and inspirational documentaries. The Adva Effect creates media content that educates, engages and empowers audiences. They are launching a music video in November that was produced for a rap artist, Freddy Will from Sierra Leone. As if that didn’t keep her busy enough, Chelsea will also be speaking at TED X UW in November at the University of Waterloo.
Although I wasn't fortunate enough to meet Chelsea face to face, I enjoyed a lovely conversation in which we discussed our goals and challenges. I was inspired by her eagerness to learn from and reach out to others. She is genuinely interested in the passions and journeys of others.
Written by Christine Seguin
Edited by Lucinda Atwood
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