THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 Page 7 Female community leaders honor their mentors By Christopher Roberson I n honor of Women’s History Month, more than 20 female community leaders recently gathered on Zoom to recognize those who inspired them to keep moving forward. Sophya Williams-Lewis, dean of the Connections Program at Everett High School, said that professionally her greatest mentor was Lesley Ryan-Miller during their time together in the Boston Public Schools. She also said much of her strength comes from her four sisters, who taught her to always voice her opinion even though it might be viewed as offensive. “Always speak your truth,” she said. Williams-Lewis said she never pictured herself as an educator. “I did not aspire to be in education at all,” she said during the She-roes of the Community Discussion Panel on March 24. She said that when she was younger she lost a number of friends to gun violence. From there, Williams-Lewis began working with at risk youth and spent three months working for the state Department of Corrections. During her time with the department, Williams-Lewis met a 19-yearold man who said he had also been arrested in another state. However, when she asked him which state, the man simply replied: “Cambridge.” In that moment, Williams-Lewis said the shortfall in the public education system was blatantly clear and it shifted her career path. Similarly, Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani said that until a few years ago she did not see herself as a leader, adding that she was always a quiet person. However, that changed during her years teaching at Edwards Middle School in Charlestown and at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Roxbury. “I learned so much more from my students than they probably ever learned from me,” she said. “They were the ones who taught me how to own my voice.” Despite being the superintendent, Tahiliani said, it was somewhat intimidating to come into a district that is predominantly run by men. “It is hard, you never get used to Virtual bike share meeting slated for April 13 M ayor Carlo DeMaria recently announced that the City of Everett in partnership with Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville will be cohosting a public meeting regarding the Bluebikes bike sharing program throughout all communities on Tuesday, April 13 at 6 p.m. The meeting is being held virtually to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. “The Bluebikes program has been a wonderful addition to our community,” said DeMaria. “I am proud to be working with these municipalities to help strengthen the initiative. It provides an alternative form of transportation as well as a great opportunity to exercise. I encourage all Everett residents to participate in this public meeting to learn more about this multi-community program.” The meeting is being held to share information with the public about the current system as well as update the public on the bike share program’s pricing. In addition, the Bluebikes program data and general biking trends from 2020 will be discussed. This meeting will then provide a 2021 preview with details about possible expansions with new stations and new communities. Registration is required to attend the event and is available online at bit.ly/ april-bikeshare. The public is encouraged to submit comments and questions prior to the event at bit.ly/ april-bikeshare-comments. it,” she said. Linda Maloney has been with the Everett Public Schools for 34 years and is now an administrative assistant at Everett High School. She said that coming into the role her greatest mentor was Sherry Lanzilli, who held the position prior to Maloney. “She taught me how to keep Everett High together,” said Maloney. “In every phase of your life, you have a mentor.” Maloney said she has thoroughly enjoyed her time at the high school. “It’s a fun place to be. I love my job,” she said. As the school’s graduation coordinator, Maloney said, she also enjoys watching the transformation as “shy ninth graders become strong seniors.” School Committee Memberat-Large Samantha Lambert said that although she does not hold a master’s degree, she has always found alternative ways of getting things done. “There’s always another path,” she said. Lambert also said it was her daughter who taught her how to have a voice and encouraged her to run for School Committee in the 2019 election. “My daughter was my mentor in a lot of ways,” said Lambert. “What we don’t see in ourselves, someone else sees in us.”
8 Publizr Home