Help Chelsi Study Engineering in the U.S.!

Anna Cron is organizing this fundraiser.

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Chelsi Nicole is a young leader in the Dominican Republic who aspires to become an engineer to address infrastructure challenges in her small Caribbean nation.

I met Chelsi in May 2017 during my first day as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. I lived with her, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother as my host family for two years. At a mere 11 years old, Chelsi stood out as an eager learner, intelligent student, and reliable human being. During my service, Chelsi served as my main counterpart and project partner. She spent late nights tutoring me in Spanish, teaching me cultural nuances, and helping me write and brainstorm lesson plans and community engagement activities. I watched her navigate financial hardship, inconsistent electricity and internet, and a lack of running water while helping care for her three younger siblings. Yet, she continued to excel and defy her circumstances, graduating at the top of her class and being accepted into several U.S. institutions to study engineering.

Chelsi's patient, upbeat personality draws people towards her. In 2023, Chelsi was elected as the Student Council President. Beyond the classroom, Chelsi advocates to reduce high adolescent pregnancy rates to policymakers and community leaders. She organizes dance routines, sings, and participates in the local youth church group. Chelsi also interns with the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Internal Taxes, assisting with tax accounting and the real estate tax application process.

Chelsi’s mother was 14 years old when she gave birth to Chelsi. Chelsi has grown up surrounded by high rates of primary school attrition and feelings of entrapment in the poverty cycle. Yet Chelsi has overcome barriers as the product of adolescent pregnancy in a rural campo on the Dominican-Haitian border by excelling in school, representing the Monte Cristi province at the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Education headquarters, and serving as a role model for her peers and younger siblings.

Chelsi is highly regarded by community members, school staff, and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Education (MINERD), as demonstrated by her numerous accolades. One example is that she was selected out of over one thousand young Dominicans to be a 2022 Youth Ambassador for the DREAM Project’s exchange program and traveled to Denver, Colorado, for a two-week cultural exchange in November 2022.

Chelsi needs to be challenged to grow further. She is accustomed to being the highest performing student, selected as the student representative for events, and lead performer for plays and musical events. Studying at a U.S. university will provide her with a holistic learning and exchange program that challenges her academically and experientially and enables her to expand her worldview. She is eager to surround herself with diverse mindsets, challenge her preconceived notions, and gain the necessary education and experience to be a skilled engineer committed to giving back to her home community.

Please consider supporting her dreams by donating - no matter the amount - to help her join the 2028 Class of St. Ben's!

Chelsi's a talented singer.