NJ Aspiring Educators Secretary

Chelsea Berwick is a junior at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). She is majoring in History Secondary Education and is a student in TCNJ’s Honors and Scholars Program. After graduating, she plans on becoming a high school social studies educator. She is passionate about uncovering hidden histories and exposing students to lesser known stories of the past. 

Prior to serving as the 2024-2025 NJEA Preservice Secretary, Chelsea served as a TCNJ Ambassador from 2022-2024, and as a member of the Preservice Communications Committee from 2023-2024. Chelsea has had the privilege of attending the 2022 and 2023 NJEA Convention in Atlantic City, where she had the opportunity to represent TCNJ and expand her knowledge by attending professional development sessions. Through these experiences, Chelsea has strengthened her passion for advocacy and leadership. 

In her time as an Ambassador, she promoted membership by conducting multiple in-class presentations to students in the TCNJ School of Education. To inspire high school students interested in pursuing a career in education, she spoke as a college panelist at the 2023 New Jersey Future Educators Association Winter Conference in collaboration with The College of New Jersey’s Center for Future Educators. 

As a part of the Communication’s Committee, Chelsea facilitated weekly posts on NJEA Preservice’s Instagram and Facebook social media pages. Seeking to highlight the efforts of Preservice members, she created posts for a student spotlight series, local chapter’s events, and the 2023-2024 NJEA Preservice award recipients. Alongside 2023-2024 NJEA Preservice Secretary Bianca Nicolescu, Chelsea co-hosted the NJEA Preservice PodSquad Podcast. Their initiative aimed to provide their audience of aspiring educators with resources, advice and tips as they navigate their journey of becoming a teacher. With two episodes releasing each week on YouTube and Spotify, guests included Chris Cannella (chair of the NJEA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee), Joseph Nappi (2023-2024 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year), Linda Miller (Speech Therapist), Hannah Pawlak (English and Special Education teacher) and many more. Chelsea is excited to continue filming episodes in 2024 and looks forward to where this project will take the team. 

In recognition of these efforts, she was honored to receive the 2023-2024 NJEA Preservice Outstanding Local Leader of the Year award.

At TCNJ, Chelsea prides herself on her involvement in extracurricular activities. She is the Vice President of the Student New Jersey Education Association, Coordinator of The School of Humanities and Social Sciences Peer Mentor Program, a College Ambassador for the Office of Admissions serving on the Selection Committee, a member of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi National Honor Society in Education, and the History Club. Chelsea has also served as a Student Access Support Specialist for the Accessibility Resource Center to provide in-depth lecture notes to students with disabilities.

As the NJEA Preservice Secretary, Chelsea looks forward to strengthening relationships with members of the Preservice Leadership Team as they work to advocate for New Jersey’s future educators. She plans on growing membership, continuing to produce episodes of the NJEA Preservice PodSquad Podcast, representing Preservice at future NJEA conferences and conventions, and spreading Preservice’s message of empowering students’ futures.