Promise Scholar Chanel Wilson Awarded YWCA Young Woman of Achievement
Promise Scholar, Chanel Wilson, poses for a photo. Chanel is a recipient of the 2021 YWCA Young Woman of Achievement Award.
On April 30th, the YWCA Kalamazoo virtually hosted the 2021 Women of Achievement Awards Celebration. In line with their mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, this long-running annual event celebrates the extraordinary women throughout the Kalamazoo community who have devoted themselves to social justice and system change.
Throughout the night, 10 recipients were recognized across 4 different categories:
Women of Achievement
Dorothy I. Height Award for Social Justice Innovation
Young Women of Achievement
Lifetime Woman of Achievement Award (See more: Janice M. Brown Ed.D. awarded YWCA’s 2021 Lifetime Woman of Achievement)
Among those nominated as Young Women of Achievement, one standout individual and future Promise Scholar was selected as a recipient of this year’s award.
Chanel Wilson currently attends Loy Norrix High School. Entering her senior year, Chanel’s time spent in KPS has been nothing short of amazing. She is actively involved in extracurriculars like DECA, Peace Jam, Executive Board, and the National Honors Society. Outside of these activities, you can find her working with incoming freshman at Loy Norrix to help them get acclimated to life in high school and tutoring students in a variety of subjects.
“Being in each and every single one of these clubs has helped mold me into the person that I have become today,” Chanel said. “These experiences have provided me skills to put in my tool belt to use while in college and even in corporate America. Being a part of all these clubs is so important to me because it has taught me so much about who I am as well as what I want to become.”
Chanel Wilson with her Inner City Youth for Change Peers.
Although her involvement in academics keep her busy, Chanel is equally committed to creating positive change for youth in the city of Kalamazoo and making an impact on the community that surrounds her. Chanel serves on the Youth Mobility Ambassador Cabinet, the Youth Advisory Council through Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation, and as a Youth Ambassador for the Kalamazoo County Youth Cabinet. Most recently, Chanel’s involvement with Inner City Youth for Change brought her on a two week-long experiential learning trip to Sierra Leone with peers to serve and work with local youth.
“My recent trip to Sierra Leone was a perspective-shifting experience. In America, we know about the drastically high level of poverty that takes place in Africa, but seeing it in person was an intense encounter. We were there for about 12-days and we stayed in a city called Freetown. There, we worked with a nonprofit organization called Word Made Flesh.”
ICYFC members present Madlyn with money to pay 100% of her college tuition.
“By working with this organization, we were able to connect with many youth that live in Freetown. Each and every home that we entered into had amazing hospitality. I was always given a place to sit whether it was a bench, a lawn chair, or even a paint can. The people we met were very hard-working and kind-hearted individuals. Even though many of them experience poverty, they are rich in relationships and connections.”
One of the most notable moments from the trip is when members of ICYFC presented a local student, Madlyn, with enough money to pay 100% of her college tuition. These funds were raised by the past two ICYFC cohorts, but were presented during this year’s trip.
“It was such a momentous occasion knowing that with this money, her life will be changed forever.”
Now entering her senior year, Chanel is beginning to think about the next step on her path. While still weighing the options for where she will attend, Chanel is set on pursuing a bachelors degree, followed with a masters, in either finance or business administration. With this education, Chanel has the ambition to one day become Chief Financial Officer of a company. She wants to break the glass ceiling in the world of finance and act as an influential role model to those who want to step into the world of business.
Chanel also plans to start a nonprofit organization with her sister, Breyana, to help single mothers in all aspects of life.
“I am so passionate about starting an organization to help young ladies and single mothers because growing up in Kalamazoo, I observed many situations where a mother was enduring the tasks of trying to be both the father and the mother at once,” she said. “Or I see young ladies that look in the mirror and don't recognize the person that is looking back at them. So I would like to make a difference in the lives of those who are overlooked.”
When asked about what it means to have been chosen for the Young Woman of Achievement Award, Chanel simply expressed her gratitude for the moment.
“To be awarded the Young Women of Achievement Award is an honor. It reminds me to keep pushing through the trials and tribulations that I may face because in the end, I am a powerful young lady. It reminds me to stand tall in my own power because that’s what makes me unique.”
Chanel Wilson is an absolute powerhouse of an individual and is most deserving of this recognition. To learn more about this year’s award celebration and to see a list of 2021 recipients, please visit the YWCA Kalamazoo’s website.
