The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s very own Chelsey Briggs will serve as the next speaker in the 2017-2018 Distinguished Student Lecturer Series on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m., in the Campus Center. Briggs, who is the fifth UMPI student to serve as a student Distinguished Lecturer, will deliver her talk An Unconventional Journey. Her talk is free and the public is encouraged to attend the event.
Briggs is a senior in UMPI’s Elementary Education program and she’ll be applying a lot of life experience to her future career as an educator. She’ll be sharing her unique educational journey during this special DLS Student lecture.
“‘An Unconventional Journey’ is how I would summarize my life,” Briggs said. “After my senior year of high school, I traveled to Beijing, China, and studied Mandarin for two months, which is how my passion for travel started.”
She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Political Science, Business, and Marketing from Mount Saint Vincent University. When Briggs graduated from college, she was unsure of what she was going to do next. She knew she wanted to explore, so she packed her bags and moved all the way to Seoul, South Korea. She stayed there for a year and a half and taught English to kindergarten students.
Briggs has traveled to 27 countries, driven across Canada nine times, hiked Machu Picchu, climbed an active volcano, and owned and operated her own food truck business. Now, at the age of 30, Briggs is back in school to complete her degree in Elementary Education.
“Throughout my experiences, I have discovered that when you are able to couple education and passion, anything is possible,” Briggs said. “I hope to continue to share my stories and educational pursuit with others. I know that this is just the next step for me. I plan to further my education and my dream is to become a motivational speaker for students. I want to show others that there is more than one way to make decisions and move through life.”
The University’s Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1999. Each year, the UDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture. This is the fourth year that the University has invited students to participate in the series as Distinguished Student Lecturers.
All are invited to attend Brigg’s distinguished student lecture. For more information about this event, contact the University’s Community and Media Relations Office at 207-768-9452 or email umpi@maine.edu.