Season 1; Episode 17: Developing Yourself

Written By Andrea Sadowski

Meet Chelsea, a researcher, sessional university instructor, development studies scholar, and travel nanny. In this episode, Chelsea and I talk about her experience working and volunteering in Afghanistan, how she became a travel nanny on the side, what it’s like teaching university at such a young age, and a quick run-down on what exactly is “development.”

I have known Chelsea since my first year of studies at UFV in 2018, I started my BA in GDS the same year that Chelsea graduated with the same degree. I first met her when she gave a presentation to my Introduction to Global Development Studies class, she shared her internship experience and what her degree is like, and we have sort of been in that same UFV/GDS circle ever since. When I ran into her at an event last summer and learned that she had already completed her masters and was now a sessional faculty at UFV and is a lead researcher at CHASI, the research hub at UFV, so of course I had to have her on to learn how she has accomplished so much at such a young age. She’s had a fascinating career journey and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to sit down and talk with her. 

During our conversation, we talk about:

  • Chelsea’s four job titles:

  • Completing her BA in Global Development Studies at UFV over the course of seven years

  • Her voluntourism journey to Uganda, working as a Resident Assistant at the African Children’s Choir school as an 18-year-old

  • Being a travel nanny all over the world in countries like Turkey, Australia, Uganda, and Afghanistan

  • Her experience traveling Afghanistan twice, working as a travel nanny, as well as volunteering with local non-profits, including one that increased the mental health capacity of Afghan people

  • Completing her Master’s degree in Development Studies at the University of Sussex

  • How to become a travel nanny/au pair, the resources she used to find gigs, and tips on setting boundaries with clients

  • Being a United Nations volunteer in Laos, working as a consultant for Van Mai Coffee, a non-profit that works with farmers trying to switch from opium farming to coffee farming

  • What led her into Academia and her experience being a sessional instructor at such a young age

  • Her work at CHASI as a Lead Researcher, such as researching the Fraser Valley flood of 2021 and how she got her job

  • Her mental health journey, struggling with reverse culture shock and anxiety, as well as awareness of the multitude of protective factors

  • Advice for people who don’t know what they’re doing with their lives

  • The advice she’d give to her 20-year-old self and her vision for her 40-year-old self

  • A short run-down on what is “development”

If you enjoyed this episode, follow me on Instagram, leave a comment, send me a message, or just reach out in any way to let me know what you think! Also, share with your friends! Sharing is caring!

Andrea Sadowski
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Season 1; Episode 18: The Healing Power of Nature
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Season 1; Episode 16: Events, Emails, and Entrepreneurship