Special to the Journal
Aisha Milbury-Ellis has announced for School Committee. The following is her statement:
Why me? Vested interest, with two school-aged children and nephews within the Revere School System, I, like many parents, experience first-hand how decisions that are made impact our children and the quality of education they are receiving.
I grew up in this city. I was a part of the first class to walk through the doors of the new Garfield Magnet School. It was a wonderful experience for me. I played on the Garfield Gators basketball team, mentored second-graders and made lasting friendships. As a kid, school work was school work, you did what you had to do to get it done – looking forward to those subjects that caught your interest and getting through the classes that you weren’t too keen on, but also, and arguably more important, it was a time filled with smiles and laughter. In retrospect, school was a happy time in my life and it is this experience and more that I want for my children, and for all children.
I am a 1996 graduate of Revere High School and former Patriot, having played basketball, field hockey, powderpuff and track and field. My involvement in extra-curricular activities ran the gamut from year-book committee to the Revere Interact Club, a junior rotary club under the Kiwanis. Like many of my former classmates, also now parents, there were countless formative experiences packed into those four years. I went on to study criminal justice at Northeastern until confronted with a reality check, I couldn’t afford Northeastern, not even with having worked three jobs. I was fortunate enough that my experience at Northeastern had opened the door for me to land a job with the Board of Bar Overseers and later as an investigator with the Office of Bar Counsel, the state’s licensing, ethics and disciplinary board for attorneys. I worked during the day as I pursued an education. I took classes at Bunker Hill Community College and ultimately earned a bachelor’s degree from UMASS Boston, graduating summa cum laude and was a recipient of the Distinction in Criminal Justice Award. I continued to work full-time and enrolled in the evening program at New England School of Law, where I earned the Black Judges Conference Award, a distinction in academic achievement. I passed the bar in 2008. Today, I am a practicing civil litigation attorney. I have effectively represented clients before the Massachusetts Superior, Appellate and Federal courts, including Higher Education Law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, Negligence, Premises Liability, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death. I also conduct independent workplace investigations.
It is based on my personal experience and with my children in mind, that I wish to serve on the school committee. We should be doing more for our children by way of providing a variety of pathways and opportunities for success, and that is not going to look the same for each child. Not every child is going to gravitate towards academics. Some students will, however, prove talented in a skilled trade, technical or in the vocational arena, all of which are areas that children should be exposed to and experience at some level early on in their educational career. This is an area for which I hold the utmost of importance and will strongly advocate, as a member of the school committee.
I am not a politician. I did not set out to become one. I am a parent and I see an area where I believe I can be effective in the positive shaping of our educational district. The Revere educational system provided me with a solid educational framework, combined with core values of respect, responsibility, kindness, and empathy that were instilled not only at home, but also by dedicated teachers with whom my path crossed. My experience is a testament to what our educational district is capable of. We have somehow veered from the days when families were establishing themselves in our city solely because their children would receive a supreme quality education, now with more parents opting to send their children to private schools. Our children are growing up in a world much more advanced, with resources literally at their finger-tips and information being thrown at them hard and fast. It can be overwhelming for any one of us, but every decision that is made should be a decision that is reflective of that which is best for all of our children and that notion, that alone is my agenda.
I am a lifelong learner and truth seeker. I will listen. I will thoroughly educate myself on the topics at hand. I will review issues with a critical, open mind, one that is impervious to outside influences. I will do my job. My decisions will only be made after I have done all of the above and have determined in good conscience, that the decision is right and in the best interest of all of our children. This is my promise.
It is my to reach as many of you as I can. I look forward to listening to educational issues that are important to you. I can also be reached at [email protected] or 781-629-4509.
