My Winthrop Experience

Chelsea Brown '14 isn't afraid of the word "go-getter" — and she isn't afraid to be one, either. In fact, that very word defines both her Winthrop experience and her work with The SEED School of Maryland in Baltimore.

As a development assistant at SEED Maryland, Brown raises funds and builds the vital connections necessary to support the statewide, public, college-preparatory boarding school. SEED Maryland helps underserved students prepare for college and beyond with a supportive learning and living experience. Brown said she relishes the excitement she sees in SEED Maryland students headed to college.

"It's rewarding for me to see the look on the kids' faces when they get accepted into the college of their choice. I get to see that excitement through their eyes," said Brown, a native of Columbia, South Carolina.

Seeing those success stories inspired Brown to achieve one of her own goals: establishing a scholarship at Winthrop. Her fund, the Chelsea Brown Scholarship, supports Winthrop students with first preference to a graduate of SEED Maryland or a Columbia native who is majoring in mass communication.

Brown remembers well the excitement of becoming a college student. The daughter of two first-generation college graduates, she immersed herself in all that the Winthrop experience had to offer. She was a member of the Winthrop Association of Black Journalists and the Xi Beta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; served as a peer mentor; and worked as co-host of "Battle of the Sexes" on WINR, Winthrop's radio station.

"The Winthrop experience puts you in leadership roles as a student so that you can be prepared to begin your career," said Brown. "Winthrop pushes you to go out and be a leader after graduation."