By Marko Duffy
I have recently met some amazing young people from Lawrence. Several times in fact. There are some things going on in the city for and by some young adults and kids that will make this city a better place to live and work for years to come.
I started representing the Lawrence YMCA as part of the Jericho Road program. Jericho Road is a cultural inclusion program designed to help match Latino professionals to non-profit boards in the city. Attending these meetings and training sessions has been valuable experience for me and has introduced me to a group of young professionals who live, work or otherwise have roots in the city and their commitment is a personal one.
I was impressed with the idea and the mission and then I met the candidates. They blew me away.
I met a group of young professionals that have not only succeeded personally and professionally but they have excelled. All of the recruits are amazing individuals who are seeking a way to give back to the city they’re so attached to. They are hoping to be matched with a board that allows them to give their time and their talents toward bettering the community. That they understand that being on the board of a non-profit means giving thoughtfully and generously and the financial commitment does not sway them. They are ready and able to give. Dedication and a willingness to help like this is hard to find but thrives here at Jericho Road in Lawrence.
Participating in Jericho Road I was introduced to the Greater Lawrence Young Professionals Network and several of their members and directors. These 20-somethings have started their own organization to attract and engage young professionals in the community and provide a support network for them. An organization through which they can grow and share and ultimately improve the overall quality of life in the community. These dynamic individuals wanted to make a difference and when the platform didn’t exist they went out and invented it. Impressive at any career stage but for young people just starting out, it shows incredible vision and dedication to the city.
Then through a YMCA program I was introduced to alumni of the Adelante program now operating at the Lawrence YMCA. Adelante is an educational program run by the YMCA to provide a safe and productive environment for 7th and 8th graders to move forward personally and academically. The prep program potentially can lead to 4 year scholarships at a private school in the area. If they work hard, stick with it and develop as students and people.
Now in regards to the alumni, here is a group of young people who decided 15 years ago that they wanted to empower themselves through knowledge and education and were seeking better opportunities. To say they succeeded is an understatement.
The Adelante alumni I met are truly powerful people who grasped an opportunity living in Lawrence provided and maximized it. They have gone on to become lawyers, vice presidents, successful business men and women and entrepreneurs. They represent what is possible when hard work is done and they are committed to reaching out and helping current and future generations of Adelante scholars. There will be more incredible and talented Lawrence youth going to great schools all over New England because of the work they did a few years ago and are willing to do now.
And then I met the youngest group and the cream of the crop. Some of the most impressive young people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I met this year’s group of 8th graders in the Adelante program. I read their essays. I listened as they were interviewed and discussed their hopes and ambitions. Most of all I heard that they had spent 2 years working hard in the Adelante program. It has to be hard as a 7th grader to choose to join a 2 year program that is dedicated to giving you more school work, asks you to tutor and collaborate with peers, commit to community service and develop as a unique individual maximizing your potential. I’m not sure I could have said yes to that at 30 never mind 13.
So these scholars we interviewed and got to know made me come away with a deep respect for this group, the youngest of the young men and women I have met recently. It’s hard to choose among this group who may or may not get scholarship money just like it’s hard to choose which of the above groups I described is the most impressive.
The good news is we don’t have to pick a winner among these different and diverse groups. The winner has already been chosen and it’s the community and the city of Lawrence.
One common thread that runs through all of these groups is the thankfulness they grew up where they did, their dedication to giving back to a city they feel they got much from and the desire to stay here, help here and promote here. They are glad to have the roots that they share and are proud to tell people where they are from and where they want to be.
There is a wave coming Lawrence. A wave of young people coming back or staying or looking to build businesses and networks. The old adage goes, “How do you know when someone from Lawrence has made it? They move away.” That’s exactly what it is, an “old adage”. One that no longer fully applies and time has moved past. There is a generation, or 2 or 3, here in the city that says it will be different. They worked hard to get where they are… Here.
Marko Duffy is CEF and President of Marathon Manufacturing Services.
