‘The Making of Me’ with Chelsie Jones

Chelsie just graduated with a BA in Media Production at Solent University. We asked her, “one word to describe your experience at Solent.” She said her three years here “has been excellent, to say the least.” You might wonder, “how did it all begin?” She replies, “it started from me making a YouTube channel called Beauty is My Duty where I share tips, reviews and lifestyle videos.” She added, “That was the moment when I fell in love with video editing and social media. This was from me wanting to show my life, from my perspective.”

It seems like Beauty is My Duty had an influence on her. Therefore, we want to know, “what was the moment when you were able to apply what you learn at Solent and use it on your YouTube channel?” Her response was, “When I came to Solent University, I was able to learn advanced skills using the Insta360 camera. I loved it so much I brought my own for my YouTube channel. This was interesting at the time because it was something new to me.”

Additionally, it looks like she finds new things interesting. We asked, “is there anything else that new you like about Solent University?” Chelsie cheerfully answers, “I love every minute of learning new state-of-art editing skills, meeting new like-minded people. Because they’re a team working together to become professional media makers. While I was here, I have been given enjoyable tasks like creating blog posts and a new business Instagram account. Where I get to self-reflect on work that I have done.”

“I loved everything about media as it suited my needs being a wheelchair user with it being accessible at my fingertips.”

“It seems like you enjoy media. Why do you like it so much?” She wonderfully responds with, “I loved everything about media as it suited my needs being a wheelchair user, with it being accessible at my fingertips.” Since she started university, she said it was “the making of me.” So, we asked her, “can you expand on that?” She explains, “it opened a whole new world of opportunities that I would not discover otherwise. I was very grateful for how many new doors were open to me. For example, I have gained valuable experience in the industry since volunteering in the world of radio.” This started when she joined Sonar Radio, our very own University Radio Society and Station. In addition, she said, “I didn’t expect to enjoy being a presenter as much as I did.”

Since she sounds happy about presenting, we asked her, “have you done anything that would help you work towards becoming a presenter?” She confidently replies, “yes, following an email from my lecturer Roy Hanney. As a result, I was able to land a regular spot, being co-host every Sunday morning for the local community station Fiesta 95.” After putting her toe into the water, she told us, “this was great because it gave me a realistic view of what presenting is like in the real world.” Although she was delighted in her role, she decided to step up by applying at Voice FM Southampton. She added, “now, I have a regular slot on VFM with my very own show called Same Difference Representing Diversity and Disabilities.” Her show is about shining a positive light on the local community of Southampton.

Nevertheless, we were curious, “what skills have been most valuable to you during your time as a student?” She kindly responds, “I have learnt a variety of technical skills using various software that are recognised in the industry like Premiere Pro, InDesign and many more. As well as being trained on specific types of equipment, prepping me for the professional world.” In addition, she believes the most significant thing from the Media Production course was “the focus on becoming a media maker, and how it teaches you on storytelling, whether audio or visual at its finest. Storytelling techniques have been embedded in my mind now every time I am producing content.”

“Most of all, through doing this, I want to be a role model in the industry where people with disabilities can look up to and are motivated by and can relate to.”

After her three years of studying, she has discovered she wants to pursue being a presenter either on TV or Radio. She said, “I have a real passion towards this type of role, and it is where I feel the most confidence”, as this mirrored in her radio show with Voice FM and her YouTube Channel. Later she revealed, “most of all, through doing this, I want to be a role model in the industry where people with disabilities can look up to and are motivated by and can relate to.” She also discovered, “along the way, I like to research topics and write about them. This allows me to work towards journalism. This is special to me because my role models were Stacey Dooley and Louis Theroux”. This inspiration was from watching their documentaries when she was growing up.

Finally, we asked her, “why would you recommend others to come to join Solent?” Her feedback was, “my three years’ experience at the university was great, as I was able to discover a lot about myself. Since Open Day, I was impressed with the University accessibility for wheelchair users because this is very important to me. Solent was an excellent fit for me. I am proud to have my student life at Solent University.” She later added,

“I would recommend this university to anyone who wants to explore the creative industry. There are opportunities to work at festivals and trips that help you develop and gain experience. This is something very unique to Solent.”

Moreover, she praised the “amazing lecturers that have experience in the industry themselves” for giving her tips, advice and opportunities that unlock many doors that she thought she would never be able to get into. In her opinion “Solent is the best creative university”. She believes “all the skills I learnt will be valuable in the upcoming months.”

Chelsie has proved to us all that disabilities don’t stop your ability to prosper from doing what you love and enjoy. We Solent University wishes all the best to her, and we’re proud to say we’re glad to have you being part of our graduate!

Written, Edited, and Published by Krisana Polyotha

BA(Hons) Media Production

Solent Media