Name: Chelsea Grant
Classification: Junior
Major: Public Relations
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
HC: What made you run for senior attendant?
CG: I have a long history of pageantry so I wanted to apply what I have been doing my whole life and give back to my campus on a larger scale. I wantl to bring so much more to the campus than what has been done so far.
HC: What’s the most important point on your platform?
CG: My platform is CROWN. I just want to cultivate this sense of royalty into everyone. We’re more than just an HBCU. I mean, yes, we are a FAMUly but we can be so much more and there’s so much that involves being royal. It’s a mindset that I feel the campus needs to get. So my favorite platform out of CROWN would be raising awareness. There are 550 children in Tallahassee that are homeless. I basically just want to raise the awareness of homelessness in Tallahassee. So I’ll be doing a food, clothes, toys, toiletries and blanket drive on the set, and I’ll keep that up every month. That’s a platform that I live by, not just right now for senior attendant. That’s something that I put forth everywhere. Like when I’m back home, that was my thing. So here I’m really getting involved with it. So raising awareness, that’s my favorite platform. Many people ignore homelessness, but I think it’s a huge thing. We shouldn’t cut them out of society. We need to embrace them and welcome them back in.
HC: What does senior attendant mean to you?
CG: Senior attendant is more than just a position, it means work! Work, work, work. Work, recruitment, raising awareness. It’s being a leader. We are the head of the class and we are the head of the school so we need to lead by example.
HC: What do you hope to gain from this experience, as far as the running aspect?
CG: I just hope to impact someone! I want my platform points to go beyond me winning or losing. I want them to stick. I don’t want them to be something that’s stagnant just because I’m running. I also want my name to be known campus wide so I can be able to network. I want to gain that overall experience of a family. My senior class, I want us to be very close because it’s our time to graduate so I just want to be able to network. If I ever need them after I graduation or if they ever need me, I want to be able to have that.
HC: Being that you’re almost a senior, what’s one thing you’ve learned while being at college?
CG: Take risks. Be courageous because you never know who you’re going to impact or who you’ll affect. You never know who’s watching either, so never be afraid to take risks because you never know where they will lead you. You might gain something so valuable.
HC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
CG: 10 years? [Laughs] Married, children, grad school! Doing something that’s going to leave a mark. I’m currently training so that I can eventually compete for Miss USA, and I am presently training for the Miss Florida pageant. I do preliminaries later on this year. My platforms points will go beyond senior attendant. My plan is for the CROWN platform to be recognized nationwide.
HC: If you could describe your personality in 3 words, what would those words be?
CG: [laughs] Three words that describe Chelsea? I would say optimistic. I always look at the glass half full, never half empty. I always go into the new day without the problems from the day before. I do not agree with that. The sun will always come out tomorrow. That’s always what I tell myself so no matter how bad the day before was I know there will always be a new day. Regardless of what you’ve been through, the sun will come out. I am extremely loving. Who I love, I love hard. People might think I’m mean! No, I’m the most caring person when you actually get to know me. I know who I love and I love hard. I would say I’m also very ambitious. I have goals that are beyond just right now and local. There are things I want to accomplish nationwide. And I don’t ever have to receive a dime for it.
HC: What made you come to FAMU?
CG: I know it’s going to sound crazy but I came to FAMU to be uncomfortable. Yes I said it, uncomfortable. Growing up I was the only child in the household so just imagine how I was babied and catered. I knew it was time for Chelsea to grow up. I grew up very dependant and I knew it was time for me to become independent and to grow into the woman God wanted me to be. I wanted to find an HBCU and I knew this was the number one HBCU to come to.
HC: What’s one thing you love about this school?
CG: I love the closeness of it. You see we’re our worst critics. I know I’m going to face so much ridicule within this week, but at the end of the day I know that if someone from the outside was trying to get on Chelsea I know that my FAMUly will get on that person. I just love the days on the set, the rattler strike, being able to scream 1887, the orange and green that runs through everybody. Even if they’re like “I hate FAMU! Financial aid sucks!” [Laughs] You still know everybody loves FAMU. So that’s what I really love.
HC: If you could go back in time, what’s something you would tell the old you, or the you in the past?
CG: Good question, what would I tell myself? I would tell myself a lot of stuff. That’s an emotional one! I would say guard your heart and guard your mind. Just guard yourself. Not so much where you become close-minded or where you block out everybody but just protect yourself a little more. Everybody isn’t worthy of you. I haven’t just dated everybody but I have made some mistakes when it comes to dating. I would tell myself you are worth more. Growing up my mom always told me “You’re worth more,” but I didn’t really believe it until a few years ago. I’m like “Girl, you all of that!” I wish I would’ve had that mentality a llittler earlier. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a part of the growing process.
HC: I understand campaign week can get stressful. What do you do to relax?
CG: You know what calms Chelsea down? Calling mom, calling dad, calling boyfriend. Those things keep me sane. When I’m stressed, they know. If they get a phone call from me and it’s not after six they know I’m calling to vent. I’m a communicator, a PR student, so everything involving communication I thrive off of. So when I need to relieve stress I talk and I write. Anything that gets it all out because I don’t like harvesting it. I don’t like sitting down thinking about it. No, I like to get it all out, shake it all out and keep going.
HC: What do you do for fun?
CG: I like to horseback ride! I know that’s a typical Texas thing! It’s so relaxing to go out on an open trail and look at all that God has created. It’s so powerful when you just sit back and think. I love being outdoors. I don’t really like sweating but I really like being outdoors. Like just sit down and take a deep breath. Literally like right now take a deep breath.. It’s just like God is amazing.
HC: What tips would you give to people who would like to run for any student leadership position?
CG: Just go for it! It’s going to be scary at first and putting yourself out there on display is hard thing, especially at FAMU. We all know that. But it’s all worth it. Just go for it. Don’t be afraid. Just go!
HC: What’s one thing you’d like to say to your classmates?
CG: I love you all and it has been an eventful three years! It has been a pleasure just knowing you guys. I don’t regret coming to FAMU at all. You guys have taught me a lot whether you know it or not, and it’s been great. I’m looking forward to seeing where the class of 2015 goes.
Instagram: @keepingupwithchels