Colleagues,
We are always excited to share interesting ideas and activities that have proven successful in one or more of our MAVA schools. Today we are pleased to share an idea from our colleagues at Southeastern Regional.
As we are well aware in advocating for our schools, it is effective to invite local and state officials to special events, or as in this case, to speak to students in a classroom or vocational program.
David
Southeastern Regional Legal and Protective Students Host State Representative Michelle M. DuBois
January 3, 2024 Madelyn Hedges Client News, School News
From left, student Britney Valdez, Rep. Michelle DuBois, Superintendent Holly McClanan.
SOUTH EASTON — Southeastern’s Legal and Protective Services (LPS) students recently hosted Representative Michelle DuBois, of Brockton, to share her life journey to becoming a State Representative for the 10th Plymouth District.
On Friday, Dec. 15, Rep. DuBois spoke with Legal and Protective students at Southeastern about what it is like to be a state representative and how one can provide justice in the elected position.
LPS senior Britney Valdez, of Brockton, initiated the visit and invited Rep. DuBois to speak to her class about the role that state representatives play in making a difference and advocating for justice in the community. Valdez aspires to be an elected official and currently serves as Student Representative to the Southeastern Regional School Committee.
Representative DuBois answers students’ questions.
“Our program thrives on bringing in guest speakers to show students the different career options we have available to us,” said Valdez. “We have had police officers, lawyers, firefighters, and even FBI agents speak with us, but never a state representative. So, I spoke to my teacher Ms. Allen about inviting Rep. DuBois to come and speak.”
Throughout the day, Rep. DuBois spoke about the struggles of being raised in poverty and how this experience drove her to be an advocate for justice. Her legislative priorities include environmental justice, homelessness, mental health, substance use and recovery.
She stated that above everything, one of the most important things for future leaders is to “understand the art of compromise and live to fight another day.” She informed students of the four categories she believes are the cornerstone of her position including budget and funding, bills and policy, constituent services, and special projects. After her presentation, Rep. DuBois fielded questions from students ranging from sacrifices she made to achieve her goals, her advocacy on legislation tied to ending domestic violence and protecting survivors, substance use treatments, campaigning, and more.
“It was great to have someone from one of our communities that is relatable,” said senior Maeve Stipkovitch. “Hearing her story and learning how she grew through government gives hope that it is possible for me too.”
“Seeing someone push through adversity is inspirational!” added Valdez.
About Southeastern:
Located in South Easton, Massachusetts, the school is a 4-year public high school where students choose from 20 different career majors in preparation for life’s challenges and opportunities. The school combines a rigorous academic curriculum with state-of-the-art vocational and technical studies to help students realize their full learning potential.
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira
