Chelsee Shines in the National Youth Leadership Program
Chelsee is a bright young woman with an even brighter future ahead. She studies Sociology at Kennesaw State University and plans to continue to further her education at KSU by entering their dual Master’s program in Public Administration (MPA) and Business Administration (MBA). Chelsee dreams of becoming a lobbyist starting at the state level in Georgia, with the intent to lobby in Washington, D.C. Along with being a lobbyist, she plans to start her own nonprofit organization working with young people. Chelsee is a very busy young woman. In addition to being a full-time student, she works full-time at the Georgia State Capitol as an executive assistant to eight Georgia State Representatives.
Chelsee was diagnosed with Platelet Storage Pool Disorder at seven years old. She’s been very active within the bleeding disorder community, starting with Hemophilia of Georgia (HoG). She attended Camp Wannaklot as a camper for many years and later volunteered as a camp counselor to give back to the community and stay connected with her camp friends. Chelsee leads by example and loves working with younger children/teens. “Although we may have the disadvantage of having a bleeding disorder; there are so many other advantages we have and can share within our life to help impact another life within the community,” Chelsee shared.
In June 2016, she was awarded the Hemophilia of Georgia Scholarship to attend the 68th National Hemophilia Foundation’s (NHF) Annual meeting in Orlando, FL. This is where she first heard about the National Youth Leadership Institute (NYLI) Program. The leadership program provides young adults (18-24 years old) leadership opportunities to encourage personal growth, effect change, and positively influence others within the community to advocate and get involved. Chelsee was accepted into the program in December 2016.
The NYLI program is a three-year commitment with three areas of focus: outreach, advocacy, and nonprofit development. Chelsee chose the advocacy track due to her government relations experiences and because she wanted to help others feel more comfortable with speaking with their legislators. Chelsee has travelled across the US for training sessions to enhance her public speaking skills, to learn how to facilitate workshops at different HTCs, and to attend stakeholder meetings. She conducted her first workshop in December of 2017, in Baton Rouge, LA. Her message is simple, “Get involved. Stay involved.” 
Chelsee was interviewed for NHF’s Red Tie Challenge campaign website, www.redtiechallenge.org. She spoke about her diagnosis and how it affected her daily life. She wants to be a role model for young adults with bleeding disorders, to show them they can be involved and make a difference within the community.
Chelsee is in her second year in NYLI and has been selected to join the planning committee for NHF’s 70th annual meeting in Orlando, FL. She told HoG she plans to continue to facilitate training workshops this year, bring more ideas to the Cultural Diversity Working Group of which she is a member, and continue to spread awareness. Chelsee commented, “You meet so many great people. I’ve learned so many new things and have experienced so much, just within my first year of NYLI. I strongly encourage the young people to apply and get involved.” Chelsee plans to get involved with the advocacy team of Hemophilia of Georgia and is looking forward to attending Hemophilia Day at the Georgia State Capitol on March 6.
We had a chance to speak with Chelsee’s mom, Andrea. She told HoG, “I've always encouraged Chelsee to dream big. I believe that to pursue a dream, there is no such thing as impossible - because dreams do come true and Chelsee is over half way there. I am so proud of her and everything she has accomplished thus far, and I am excited to see her future unfold.”
We are proud of Chelsee, too, and wish her the very best. She is definitely going places.