When Chelsea graduated from St Andrews Lutheran College in 2015, she likely had no idea her path would soon lead her to some of the biggest names in global entertainment. Now living in New York City and working as the Director of Creative Production at DE-YAN, Chelsea’s creative fingerprints can be found on performances by Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Travis Scott, Cher and more.
But the road to the Big Apple began much closer to home.
After finishing Year 12, Chelsea moved to Brisbane, living on campus at Duchesne College and studying a Bachelor of Business and Creative Studies at QUT. A passion for creativity and culture soon took her abroad. “In 2018, I moved to New York to carry out a 6-month exchange program at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business,” she explains. “Adamant to stay, I ended up extending my time there and fast-tracking my program to graduate in 2019.” Chelsea admits, “The city is an easy place to fall in love with.” 
Since then, she has firmly established herself in the world of creative production, building an impressive résumé that includes work on the Victoria’s Secret Show and Travis Scott’s Saturday Night Live performance. “Those were two big bucket list items that felt utterly surreal,” she shares.
Chelsea credits much of her foundation for success to her time at St Andrews. “The core highlight of my St Andrews experience was the Kokoda Challenge,” she says. “It taught me resilience, the power of endurance, having a positive mindset—and that most things that are hard are 80% mental, 20% physical.”
Beyond Kokoda, Chelsea was deeply involved in the creative life of the school - drama, art, woodwork and musicals all played a part. “I was very jealous to see the new Creative Studies Hall – I would have made great use out of that in my time should it have been around.”
Her list of favourite teachers is long and heartfelt. “Mr McGilveray, Mr Grehan, Mrs Santi, Mrs Ijurco, Mr Tanguy - the list goes on,” she recalls, “All of these people were totally selfless, truly invested in students’ futures, and always encouraged me to push the limits.” One lesson in particular stuck: “Mr Martin taught me the importance of writing your own work. I think of that often, especially with the rise of AI.”
As a student, Chelsea never shied away from getting involved. “I did quite a lot of activities - Animi Dance, Kokoda, a couple of musicals - all because I enjoyed them, all at different points in my schooling years and all for very different reasons.” Those varied experiences shaped her post-school path and continue to fuel her dreams.
So what’s next for Chelsea? She sets the bar high: “My future hopes and aspirations include working on the Super Bowl halftime show, the Oscars, the VMAs, the Met Gala and a Taylor Swift show.”
In the meantime, she keeps learning every single day. “The learning never ends - from building a show, learning how a script defines the content, timecode, a click track, preroll, XR content, frame interpolation… blah blah blah… never-ending show jargon,” she laughs. “I’m learning more each and every day from those around me, above and below.”
"Allow the space between where you want to be and where you are to inspire you, not to terrify you.”
Her advice to current students at St Andrews? “Tough times never last, but tough people do,” she says. “Allow the space between where you want to be and where you are to inspire you, not to terrify you.”
From breaking records on the Kokoda trail to producing moments of magic on the world stage, Chelsea’s journey is a powerful reminder of where a strong foundation, hard work and a creative spark can lead. St Andrews is proud to have been part of her story.
Do you have an alumni story to share with our community? We would love to hear from you! Send your stories and photos to alumni@salc.qld.edu.au