Kingston Herbert
In 2001, Kingston was born in Boston, Massachusetts, along with his twin brother, to two loving parents and an older sister. Since he was a kid, Kingston has looked to his sister as a role model both inside and outside of the classroom. Kingston’s interest in government stemmed from his sister’s active role in such activities as the Mayor’s Youth Council and even the Ward Fellowship, itself. Her participation in local politics and the effect she was able to have on the community fascinated Kingston at a young age. Kingston applied to the Mayor’s Youth Council as soon as he could in his Freshman year of high school, and has been serving on it ever since. If his sister sparked his interest in government, then being a member on the Mayor’s Youth Council is what turned that interest into a passion. Seeing his sister as a fellow was also his first exposure to what a unique opportunity the Ward Fellowship is, and gave him the desire to one day apply for it himself. Outside of his involvement in politics, Kingston’s elementary school experiences also had a profound effect on him as a person. Attending the Josiah Quincy School in Chinatown from fourth through sixth grade, He developed a passion for Chinese language and culture that persists through this day. He has gone on to take Chinese classes all the way through the AP level in high school, and his interest in the language has only grown. Kingston continuously tries to find ways to combine his love for government and Chinese, and looks to make both a part of his future career, whatever it may be. Another passion of Kingston’s is sports – specifically lacrosse – and though the team does not win as much as they would all like, Kingston has enjoyed being a member of the BLS Varsity Lacrosse team since his Freshman year. He enjoys acting as a mentor and leader to younger players on both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, and hopes to continue his participation in the sport once he goes onto college, as well. Though Kingston loves both Chinese and lacrosse, his dedication to public service and government is what takes up the most amount of time in his life, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. Kingston credits his time on the Mayor’s Youth Council more than anything else for shaping him as a person, and that is why Kingston is so excited to continue to work for Mayor Martin J. Walsh this summer.