Graciela Berman Reinhardt
Graciela Berman Reinhardt has lived in Roslindale her whole life, along with her younger sister and their family chickens. From before she could read the words herself, Graciela has found joy in books and the wild adventures she could have all while curled up on a couch.
Upon joining the debate team in seventh grade, Graciela quickly realized she would have to translate her love of reading fantasy into a dedication to reading about news and current events. The veteran debaters around her drew on wells of knowledge she, too, was determined to acquire. All the topics she delved into with the team expanded her historical references and political knowledge and primed her for the 2016 presidential election, with its discussions about economy and foreign policy that echoed her own conversations at debate.
The team also taught Graciela how to understand both sides to an argument, and uncover alternate perspectives that could shed new light on an issue. In the resounding resistance that followed the 2016 election, Graciela attended her first protests and rallies, and began to digest how central politics was to every aspect of life, and how essential it is for leadership to stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.
Between practicing flute and tennis, Graciela also spends much of her time muttering snippets of declamation under her breath, and has competed in 17 public declamation ceremonies. This has helped develop her confidence and public speaking skills to breathe new life into the words of great writers. Over the years, she has striven to choose pieces that will incite change in her audiences, and sees these performances as practice for using her voice in the future to move people to action.
Graciela grew up attending Boston Public Schools, and after several years in the BPS Advanced Work Program and upon entering Boston Latin School, the inequities within the system became clear, and caused her to search for ways the local government could help alleviate this. In the summer after 10th grade, she joined the Boston Student Advisory Council and met other high schoolers from around Boston who were just as eager to fix their education system so it gave every student the tools to succeed.
Gracie’s sponsor is Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell ’00.