Watching the news can often be an anxiety-inducing experience that propagates negative attitudes toward the future of our country. When we see such big national and international problems on TV, change often feels out of reach.
These problems often overshadow the day-to-day progress being made at local levels but, throughout the course of the 2024 Presidential Election cycle — between nationally televised debates, endorsements by massive newspapers and candidates hosting the likes of Beyoncé and Elon Musk — students at our very own high school have been working to and succeeding at tackling issues on a local level; students like Maria Udalova, Ben Fusillo and Hanna Szelenyi.
These seniors are the epitome of local activism. Szelenyi, the co-president of the Warriors for Animal Rights Club, has spearheaded the passage of two warrant articles and three Brookline School Committee policies, changing the landscape of animal welfare in the town. But that’s not all. Szelenyi has worked on a handful of successful campaigns to stop local fashion retailers from selling fur. Udalova, a fierce advocate for nuclear disarmament, has brought a warrant article to Town Meeting, and has organized students from across Massachusetts to lobby for nuclear disarmament at the Statehouse. Fusillo, for his part, is one of several petitioners of a newly proposed policy that would allow the town to restrict the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides — poisons that kill rodents but present an enormous risk to other wildlife. These three students exhibit that no one is too young to take initiative and pursue change to serve a better Brookline and, subsequently, a better world.
We are the agents of change in our community, and it is our duty to take advantage of our rights to speak up and fill this role. Form a group with other students who are impassioned, talk to teachers and reach out to government officials. If you don’t take advantage of your power to make change, frankly, stop complaining about a lack of it. The town may feel small, but all changes start small and grow.
