Meet Chelsea Daley! This Her Campus Celeb is one of the most hardworking and motivated collegiettes on campus, and makes us proud to be Knights! Although she denies it, we’re pretty sure she’s Leslie Knope’s long-lost Floridian sister. Read on and find out what she’s doing to make a difference here at UCF!
Image via Facebook.
HCUCF: Hey Chelsea! Tell us a little about your involvement at UCF.
CD: I am currently a Political Science senior here at UCF! I am the president of the College Democrats at UCF as well as the founder of the Students Against Guns on Campus coalition. I started out as the Women’s Caucus chair within the College Democrats!
HCUCF:As the president of College Democrats at UCF, what are your main responsibilities?
CD: A president’s job is never done in my opinion that is what makes the position both exciting and challenging. As president of the College Democrats at UCF some of my main priorities are making sure that all of my members feel that we are on equal playing ground. This means that I make sure I am both approachable and supportive when it comes to college democrats presenting me with ideas of movements they want to start on campus. We work as a family and I am just lucky enough to lead a group of such passionate individuals.
HCUCF: We know you’re hard at work coordinating SlutWalk 2015, could you tell us a little about the event and how we can get involved?
CD: Yes! SlutWalk is a transnational movement that began in Toronto in 2011 when Toronto Police told women that if they didn’t want to be sexually assaulted they should stop dressing like “sluts”. This statement feeds into victim blaming, or blaming sexual assault victims for the harsh crimes that are committed against them. After that statement was released from Toronto Police, a group of brave women stood up and decided to march wearing anything they felt comfortable in saying “we still aren’t asking for it”. UCF plays a role in the movement because we are bringing the march to campus on March 19th in front of the Student Union starting at 12pm! Everyone of any gender or background can get involved, this movement is completely inclusive and we encourage anyone with any experiences they want to share to speak at the rally as well as to march.(author’s note: join the Facebook event here!)
HCUCF: March is Women’s History Month, yay! As a politically aware woman, what women’s issues are you the most passionate about fighting for?
CD: A wise person once told me to become the person you needed when you were younger. This really stuck with me because if you think about it we are fighting for not only the women in our family and our friends but we are also fighting for the younger generations as well. Some of the issues that I fight for are equality and putting an end to rape culture and human trafficking.
HCUCF: Recently, College Democrats held a rally to keep guns off campus. What was that experience like for you?
CD:This experience was beyond anything I could have asked for. We started the movement keeping in mind our main objective was to spread awareness of the legislation and to ensure we gave students the resources to form their own opinions on the subject. We started getting threats from the protestors from the opposing side (those who wish to have concealed carry on campus) about a week before the event. This was a little scary just because we didn’t know what we would be going into that morning but the event was amazing and we were even contacted by ABC Nightline for footage from the event so it will be broadcasted nationally!
HCUCF: The campus carry bill (SB 176/HB 4005) recently moved forward. What should UCF students know about this?
CD:One of the main things we encourage students to do is to sign the petition here. But also to contact their legislators, UCF has their own state representative (Representative Rene Plasencia) who has an approval rating from the National Rifle Association himself. This is concerns me as a student trying to fight for students’ safety on campus. Students should contact the individuals whose vote is supposed to represent our student body and let them know how they feel about the legislation. Elected officials are here to represent you and students can truly make an impact if they try.
HCUCF: What is your dream job? Do you think we’ll see a President Chelsea Daley in the future?
CD: It’s very hard to define what my dream job is. Ever since I was younger the best way I had answered that question was that I wanted to make a positive impact on the world, and that was all I knew. When I grow up I want to be someone that I would look up to when I was younger. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t make campaign speeches in my sleep!
HCUCF: When did you first discover your passion for politics?
CD: I remember this moment more vividly than I remember most memories in my life. When I was around 5 or 6 and my grandmother and I were watching a speech that Hillary Clinton was making on the tv. I looked up at my grandma and asked her “what does she do?” and my grandmother said, “she is the president’s wife” and I told her “I want to do what she does, but I want to be the president instead” and she laughed. We laugh about that moment now but I will always say Hillary Clinton was my first role model.
HCUCF: Do you have any advice for UCF students who want to be more informed about and involved in politics?
CD: Join the College Democrats at UCF! We meet every Wednesday at 7pm in Student Union room 220. It is never too late to get involved. But also, stay true to your beliefs and do you research. Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel about a subject. Join movements that stand out to you! There is a whole community surrounding social justice on campus, all you need to do is find what you are passionate about!
HCUCF: If you could ride a roller coaster with any political figure (living or dead), who would it be?
CD: To be honest, this question took me the longest to answer because there are so many amazing choices. I would probably ride the rollercoaster with John F. Kennedy because he was a fun gun and he’s one of my favorite presidents of all time!
Interested in marching for women’s rights and fighting back against rape culture? Come out to SlutWalk 2015! For more information, visit the Facebook event page here!