Growing up, Chelsea Summer was very shy and often bullied at school. She was awkward around her peers and never felt completely accepted. She battled depression and eating disorders and getting through each day was a huge challenge for her until she enrolled at Learn4Life. There, she was introduced to the Get Lit poetry program which she credits with changing her life.
Through her poetry, Chelsea was able to release a lot of “toxins” that had built up in her that she kept buried deep down inside. She started putting pen to paper to document her struggles and express her feelings. Writing poetry became a healing process for Chelsea. And, hearing other students share their stories, she realized she was not alone, that others shared her pain and understood. Slowly Chelsea began to feel safe and accepted which led her to finally share her own poetry as well.
After graduating from Learn4Life, Chelsea pursued her passion and auditioned to become a “Get Lit Player”. Chelsea has since transformed from mentee to mentor. She feels strongly about mental health issues and is now an advocate, through her poetry, shining a spotlight on the issue. Click here to learn more about Chelsea’s journey.
“I find that we all think we’re alone. We’re not alone but we feel alone. But when we hear someone else saying the same thing that we are going through, it feels different. That’s what motivated me to share my poetry because I feel like I have helped a lot of people with what they are going through, and I also realized I am not alone.” “The poetry class helped me become a more consistent writer and it helped me meet people who were going through some of the same things.” “This new year has gifted me with such a beautiful beginning. I am not talking about just this year but for a life where I stop just surviving and start living.”
