Alumna’s Community Involvement Leaves Impact

Chelsea Daley is passionate about her community.

Daley graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2015, and now works as an email marketer at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. She stays connected to the UCF community through the D.C. AlumKnights chapter and uses the skills she gained from her UCF education to aid in her desire to make the world a better place.

As the president of College Democrats at UCF, Daley inspired students to be politically involved. During the 2014 election cycle, she hosted campus events such as the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally initiative, which included driving vans of students to the polls on election day. She led the SlutWalk march against sexual assault and victim blaming on campus. Responding to a concealed carry bill going through Florida legislature during 2014, Daley began the state-wide campus initiative Keep Guns off Campus.

“I was encouraged to be innovative on campus and was able to take the lead on projects that I felt would better the UCF community,” she said.

UCF’s chapter of College Democrats received the Most Involved Organization award from the UCF Office of Student Involvement during her time as president. Daley also represented the university when she introduced former President Bill Clinton to UCF during a GOTV rally.

“I was able to tell President Clinton, ‘Knights are going to change the world one day,'” Daley said. “UCF gave me the resources I needed to not only learn how to navigate political discourse but to also find the value in differing political perspectives.”

After graduating from UCF, Daley is currently completing her master’s degree in political management from George Washington University. While in D.C., Daley shares her passion for making a positive impact on the world with the rest of the political sphere, working alongside policymakers, researchers and government officials during her work at the Center for American Progress.

“My favorite memory was running into Secretary Hillary Clinton,” Daley said. “It was an amazing moment. One of the most inspiring things she said was, ‘When you feel like you are burnt out, just know that what you are doing is valuable to the people of this nation; keep going.’”

Daley encourages current UCF students to follow Clinton’s advice and refrain from giving up, because the work they’re doing now will make a huge difference.