Salem State University: Lifebridge Director Buckley Empowers Others Through Social Work
04-03-2026Pictured: Chelsey Buckley speaks with panelists at our 2025 Together for Women event.
Chelsey Buckley, Lifebridge Director of Programs, was featured by Salem State University for her crucial work supporting vulnerable people in Salem and Beverly. Buckley is currently pursuing her Masters of Social Work at Salem State, with plans to graduate this May.
Excerpt from “Empowering Others Through Social Work and Scholarship Support”
“Graduating from Salem State University was a life-changing milestone for Chelsey Buckley ’25, ’26G, one made possible by resilience, community support and a deep commitment to helping others. A single mother working full time in the nonprofit sector, Chelsey juggled parenting, classes and rent, nearly stepping away from her dream until a timely Viking Completion Grant helped her cross the finish line.
Her path to social work was anything but traditional. A survivor herself and now a proud Salem State graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Chelsey brings lived experience and deep purpose to the field. “I wanted to be the person I needed when I was younger,” she says. Her journey through recovery, surviving trafficking and raising a child on her own drove her to return to school at North Shore Community College and eventually Salem State University.