Growing up, I always knew I wanted to help people. I think it began when I was little, as an avid reader who loved immersing herself in fictional worlds. Reading books taught me a lot about empathy. It showed me that in order to understand others, or in my case, characters, you have to put yourself in their shoes. That’s the only way you’ll realize why the evil villain poisoned the prince, or the talking dog ran away from home. I’ve found that this belief in seeing things from multiple perspectives has become the guiding factor for everything I do.
As someone who strives to be an agent of change, I like to be involved in my school and community. Through my extracurriculars, I seek to broaden my worldview and reach out to others. At Boston Latin School, I am a public and prize declaimer, Vice President of our Model UN club, the Arts and Entertainment section editor for our school newspaper, play varsity tennis, and am member of our spoken word poetry club. Outside of school, I’ve read my poetry at the National Poetry Month Celebration at the BPL Main Branch, worked for the Tenacity tennis and literacy program, and am the Charlestown Representative for the Mayor’s Youth Council. The Mayor’s Youth Council stands out in my mind as the key catalyst for a realization that my desire to be a community activist could lead me into a career in local and federal government. My experiences as a member of the MYC have been life changing, whether it be meeting famous politicians at the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebratory Breakfast, or ushering at Mayor Walsh’s first State of the City. I am extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to serve a city that has acted as the backdrop for my childhood and provided me with endless opportunities.
Now as a Ward Fellow, I have the privilege of working for Governor Charlie Baker. Through my position in Constituent Services, I am learning about places in Massachusetts I never knew, and getting countless opportunities to make people’s lives better. Whether I’m talking on the phone to a senior citizen about making public transportation more accessible, or reading a twelve-year-old boy’s letter about his hopes to help sharks in the Cape, I am constantly implementing my empathy. I get to have direct correspondence with directors of governmental agencies, and work in the same office as Governor’s Senior Advisor and his head of Policy. In addition to those exciting opportunities, I attend meetings with the sponsors of my co-fellows, listening to inspiring individuals ranging from the Speaker of the House to the head of the BRA.
Working with the Ward Fellowship has further solidified my political aspirations. In the (near) future, I hope to major in political science at whatever college I attend. I also plan on attending law school, or the lofty goal of the Kennedy School of Government. I have been given so many opportunities in my life, and my desire to give back to the city of Boston is so strong that I believe I want to begin my political career on a very local level. I have a dream of one day becoming Mayor, and being able to help residents of every neighborhood in the city. A major lesson I’ve taken away from these summer experiences is that in order to succeed in local politics, you must be dedicated. I’m ready to give my goal of working in civil service all I’ve got.