About Chelle, Real Estate Agent

When Chelle Gassan was in the third grade, she remembers one night when she and her family were quickly evacuated from Iran. It was the eve of the revolution that eventually deposed the Shah.

Chelle's father had been an international businessman, and her childhood was full of exciting adventures all around the world. Her family lived for a time in England, Kuwait and Iran, and traveled to more countries than Chelle can count ...Russia, Asia, the Middle East. The family was always on the move. Starting all over again is something she understands well.

Where The Coast Guard Sends You...

Chelle's last move with her family landed her in Chantilly, Virginia, where she became a high school freshman. She admit it was a challenging year for her. Coming from an international, academic prep school environment, she initially felt out of place in the Fairfax County countryside.

"Chantilly was very rural back then," she says. "It's changed a lot." Chelle quickly adapted, and it was at Chantilly High School that she met her future husband, Pete. The high school sweethearts went on to further their education -- Chelle to Virginia Tech and Pete to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Groton, Connecticut. After graduation they married, and the Gassan's became a Coast Guard family. Once again, travel became a part of Chelle's life. The Gassans lived in five states while Pete was in the service.