Barbara Nelson, Contributor
Lesley-Ann Welsh
In the summer of 2006, Lesley-Ann Welsh was involved in two really interesting projects. First, she was a production assistant with Warner Brothers Productions in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. As the assistant to the production manager, her work included coordinating correspondence between the local production office and the Los Angeles office.
"It was great and I learned a lot on the job," she said.
The other project was with Jah Makin' Film Productions in Kingston. A group of her friends shot two films in Jamaica and she assisted as a unit production manager.
The experience was very exciting and gave energy and focus to her already keen interest in film and event production.
Campion college
Lesley-Ann attended Campion College and was placed third in Jamaica in the Caribbean Examinations Council English Literature Exam in 2001. After that, she moved to Milton Academy, a private, preparatory, co-educational boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts (MA), United States where she was a boarder for two years.
The academy was founded in 1798 and embraces diversity and the pursuit of excellence. About 16 per cent of the nearly 700 students are international. On its website, it states that Milton Academy "develops creative and critical thinkers who are not afraid to express their ideas".
On receiving her high school diploma in June 2003, Lesley-Ann said: "It was a good two years at Milton."
From Milton, she went on to Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, where she got off to a great start by winning the Merrill Prize for significant achievement in Freshman English in 2004. Bessie Merrill, whose daughter taught English at the all-female college, established the prize in 1925.
Mt. Holyoke, a great place
"The classes at Mt. Holyoke were excellent. It was a good community and a great place - a somewhat insulated environment," Lesley-Ann commented. "International students have very good support groups there."
She majored in Psychology and was in the Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology founded in 1929. Psi Chi functions as a federation of chapters at over 1,000 senior colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada.
She also earned the dean's recognition for academic excellence each year from 2005 to 2007.
She was head peer career advisor in the Career Development Center (CDC), at Mt. Holyoke from 2005 to 2007. In that capacity, among other things, she supervised a team of 10 peer career advisors, facilitated workshops and designed handouts on topics such as developing internships, writing resumés and cover letters. She also participated in the interviewing process for selecting and hiring the associate director of internships, and the director of experiential learning.
Lesley-Ann implemented 'PCA Picks' an initiative to advertise and showcase new additions to the CDC library.
In May 2007 she graduated from Mt. Holyoke with a bachelor of arts magna cum laude. Her major was psychology with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.9/4.0; her minor Spanish; cumulative GPA: 3.8/4.0.
She has always loved entertainment and the arts and was selected social chair of the Mt. Holyoke College African and Caribbean Student Association and served from 2004-2006. She planned monthly social and community service activities for some 120 members and other events including African-Caribbean Day, a fundraiser for African and Caribbean countries in crisis.
In the 2004-2005 academic year, the association raised profits of approximately US$10,000. A portion of the money was donated to the hurricane-relief efforts in Grenada.
African-Caribbean Day
In the same capacity as social chair, Lesley-Ann organised and performed in the 2005 African-Caribbean Day celebrations. Some 300 patrons attended the event and $6,000 was raised and donated to charity.
In 2006-2007, she was treasurer of the Psi Chi at Mt. Holyoke.
With the kind of exposure and experience she had at college, the opportunity she got to work with Warner Brothers Productions and Jah Makin' Film Productions was just perfect for her. She has decided to take a break and work for a couple years, then go on to study for her MBA.
She is a creative person with a wonderful sense of humour and a positive, friendly attitude.
"I am willing to be patient and wait until I find the job I really want," she said. "Media is the way of the world now and I hope things in my life will go according to plan."
- Barbara Nelson
