Chanelle D. Washington
Chanelle has served as a frontline servant and passionate advocate for college access by providing necessary and quality post-secondary counseling and consulting, supporting underserved student populations from historically excluded backgrounds for over 9 years. In her most recent work, she supports the College Board’s Educational Opportunity Center as an Educational Counselor. This Department of Education funded program specifically targets adult learners in Washington, D.C. and provides educational counseling to pursue post-secondary education, career transition, and career advancement. Chanelle has identified, recruited, and continued supporting over 60 clients monthly while managing newly incorporated and lasting partnerships that increase access for these services.
Before shifting her action in service to work with the adult learner population of D.C., Chanelle gained years of experience in program management and community programming. During her time as a Scholars Program Advisor for the D.C. College Access Program, she spearheaded a new initiative implemented in two high schools which provided dynamic programming to ensure successful transition into post-secondary opportunities. Growing within the field of college access has supplied Chanelle countless opportunities to demonstrate her leadership on projects and gain leadership positions to successfully ensure 500+ students gain acceptance and transition into institutions across the United States with hundreds more that directly entered our military or the workforce.
Chanelle is a first-generation college graduate and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience from the University of Georgia. Outside of her academic pursuits, she became involved in many organizations ranging from mentorship to campus integration and leading the student activities board. These experiences provided an additional outlet outside of her studies that sparked her passion to increase access to the underserved and uninformed. Chanelle’s interests extend across a dynamic range such as serving as an ambassador for Google’s Woman Techmakers, connecting leaders around the world with a global community and exclusive resources to build a world where all women can thrive in tech. She has recently been invited as a new member to the Junior League of Washington whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
Chanelle has spent most of her career mentoring her students and hopes to gain a new perspective on being a leader through quality mentorship. Through the National Urban Fellows program, she believes this experience will provide the leverage to advocate for equitable college access in spaces she has yet to reach and pursue career opportunities that will leave greater social
impact on the lives of all learners!