The theme song of Chelsie Alexander’s life is “Independent Woman, Part 1” by Destiny’s Child. And as an adventurous and creative person, she’s currently writing Part 2.

As per Destiny’s Child’s lyrics, just as Chelsie “works hard and sacrifices to get what [she] gets”, she idolizes similarly independent women: Beyonce and Kim Kardashian.

“Both are strong independent women who make a living. They get a lot of hate, but also they’re successful,” she said.

On the road to going to medical school and her desire of helping patients in Africa due to her passion for biology, she values the support she gets from her family.

“They’re really relaxed but still supportive of me, and they made me a really strong person,” she said. “But they made me not afraid of things. [My sister] made me try new things and forced me to do sports. She’s the one who made me listen to cool music. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be a weird person.”

She derives her confidence not only from her family but also from her Sri Lankan culture.

“I used to be ashamed of [my culture], being brown in general, but as I grew older, I grew prouder of the culture, and that made me more confident as a person,” she said.

But on the flip side of her outspoken and confident self, Chelsie believes that people don’t always see her softer side.

“People think I’m really loud and outgoing, but sometimes I feel really shy and anxious to talk to people,” she said.

Along with her quieter side, she indulges in art as an outlet to re-energize whenever she is stressed.

“Since kindergarten, I started drawing and I never stopped,” she said. “I’ve always taken art classes and art at Harker. I don’t really think about anything when I’m doing it, so it clears my mind.”

Chelsie exudes a carefree, “take-it-or-leave-it” mentality.

“I used to care so much about what people thought, but as I got older, I just said, ‘Honestly, who cares?’” she said. “I realized that the stuff I did, people seemed to not care about it; they wouldn’t judge me for it, and if they did, they weren’t people I wanted in my life.”

She has created a strong, close-knit group of friends throughout high school, a group that includes one of her best friends Kendall Ka (12).

“Chelsie is always there for me when I’m going through a lot or feeling really down,” Kendall said. “Even when she has a lot on her plate she makes time for me, and all of her friends. I don’t think she’s ever complained about driving me home at ungodly hours of the night. I think one of the reasons we’re so close is because we both have a lot of love for the people we care about. Once you get to really know her you understand how selfless and caring she is.”