Today we’d like to introduce you to Ted Louis-Jacques.
Ted, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s a bit interesting. I’d have to go way back to Sophomore Year at Mount Ida College. That’s when I got involved with Student Activism on campus. I became a Senator for Student Government Association thanks to a good friend Doug Miles. Also as I was a Resident Assistant for the Residence Life Office, I often mitigated many roommates conflicts.
I advocated for students of color, international students, and others that needed help when it came to dealing with Financial Aid, work-study jobs, and other student services on campus. My Junior year, I was elected President of the Class of 2011 graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice. I did my internship with the Malden Police Department with the hope of becoming a police officer.
Post graduation, I moved back to Malden. I worked on a mayoral campaign for then City Councillor Gary Christenson (current mayor). There, I got my first taste of what local/state politics was all about. I worked in the Christenson administration where I focused the majority of my work doing Constituent Services, and youth development/leadership. I built a connection with the youths in my city.
My mission is equity in education. Leveling up the plain field, and creating opportunities for all students, especially the most vulnerable ones, I speak of the students of color, immigrant students, English learners, and students with disabilities. I want to make sure that all students have a voice and, their voices are heard, because they matter. This is my way of giving back to my community for all of the opportunities that I received while at Malden High School. This is why we started Malden Rising Leaders Inc. (MRL).
So in short, this is how I got started, lol.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Given that MRL turned one year old this past spring, I would say that everything is going well so far. No issues. The most challenging part that I would say was coming up with the board of directors. That was the longest and hardest part of this.
In January 2017, after presenting the Malden Public Service Scholarship at the Northshore Black Women’s Association Martin Luther King Luncheon, (an annual MLK Luncheon in Malden), I simply had a piece of paper in my hands that had my purpose, mission, and vision on it.
I went down on the address book on my iPhone, I went through my Facebook friends list, I went through my Instagram and Twitter pages, to find who I thought would be not only a great fit, but stand out with incredible background, knowledge, passion, commitment to this cause of youth development and youth leadership. I started with 100 people.
That became my working list, it was a thoughtful process. There were some great candidates, but because of school and workload, some of them could not take on any new initiatives right now. A few months later in March, I had the list narrowed down to 25 people. I met with these individuals over a period of 8 weeks formally in their offices, or while walking around Boston Common. We met for lunch, etc. We spoke frankly about what our passion was, and how we could then pay it forward to benefit our community.
Oh, another struggle was coming up with the name. I had to reach out to one of my good friends from college Mrs. Tatiyana Benjamin. She is just great with these things. Based on conversation about MRL’s vision and mission, she sent whole bunch of ideas, but she came back Malden Rising Leaders Inc. I was like: “Wow! I kinda like that. It wasn’t such a tough decision choosing. I realized that people are very generous with their time, energy, and efforts. They were always willing to help.
In the end, we ended up with a total of 5 on the Board of Directors. The five that started Malden Rising Leaders Inc. Kristy R. Magras, who serves as Vice President, Karl Denis who is the Treasurer, Amanda LaFauci is flat out one of the most passionate person that I have ever met. She is very caring, she is our secretary, and keeps us on track! By the way they are all amazing people.
Last, but certainly not least, Samara Faustin who’s a member of the board. Samara has been by my side since college days. We met in 2008 and has been inseparable since. She’s a former track star athlete at Umass Boston where she earned her degree in Business. She’s a dear friend.
We always attend these work-related events, initiatives together. So, it was only right that I brought her along to join MRL. Finally, on May 17th, 2017, after five months of deliberating, meeting with people, going back to the drawing board, formulating, calculating, we were ready. I marched down to the Secretary of State’s Office to establish the nonprofit. To me, that was the start of something big, something bigger than any of us 5.
Lastly, one thing that I would like to say is that now more than ever, I strongly believe in the quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” — Margaret Mead
Malden Rising Leaders Inc. (MRL) – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Malden Rising Leaders Inc. is a youth development and youth leadership organization.
We aim to get high school students ready for the next chapter of their lives. For instance, if they are going to a traditional 4 years institution, or 2-year community college, taking leap year, or going into the workforce, or joining the military, we want to equip them all of the tools and resources. This past summer, MRL started our inaugural summer fellowship program.
There, the fellows received workshops and training in Financial Literacy; Diversity Equity & Inclusion; Workforce Development; and College Prep. The summer fellows also worked on a social justice project to see how they can lower the voting age to 16 years old for municipal elections. They met with city and state officials about their research and they did a final presentation to the whole community. I think it was a fascinating experience for them. They did over 700 hours of research during a period of 5 weeks.
Our students also registered to vote! I was particularly proud of the way they conducted themselves so professionally. I think this work, and what we offer really separates us from other youth groups. They are engaged, they care about what happens in their community, they want to have a voice and participate in their local government. From across the country, we saw how after tragic incidents like Parkland happened, these students marched for their lives. They protested against gun violence, opioid epidemic, etc. Another issue that they face is the lack of diversity amongst teachers/staff, and administrators. Representation matters! In Malden, we can brag about being the most diverse school district, having so many different languages spoken at the high school, but until we start being intentional about really implementing action plans, hire more people of color in our schools, our government, this underlying problem will always exist. If you look at the city government, the school committee, the city council, and many boards and commissions in the City, it’s not a representation of the citizens of the city. Those in decision making places have to make those decisions. These are what these students are fighting about.
We started MRL for that simple reason. We want to encourage, promote, Malden students who to me are the next generation of civic leaders, innovators, passionate community organizers. We want to send them out in the real world, and for them successful.
That is with the hope of them coming back to Malden, to give back to their community and pay it forward. We want to make sure that they are job creators, not just job seekers.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moments of my career have to be joining the United States Army/the Massachusetts National Guard, and of course, founding Malden Rising Leaders Inc.
On July 15th, 2014, at 25 years old, I enlisted in the Army as a Motor Transport Operator Specialist. To family and friends, they could not understand why. They could not get the reasons why I would make such a bold move. You often hear of younger guys straight from high school going in when they’re 17-18 years old. Many join for college, a better job, or in some disenfranchised communities of color, the math is simple: jail or military.
I often heard you’re a 25 years old young professional, you have a full-time job with benefits, you’re set in your career in government/politics. So, why would you do that? My answer to them was/is. Yes, at 25 years old, I worked in the Mayor’s Office in Malden. The Christenson’s Administration opened the Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC). I went to work there as a Youth Activities Leader, but the missing part was that I was immature and undisciplined. I was often late for work, or meetings etc.
I am a big social media guy. So, quite often, I’d be on my phone. These little hiccups were problematic. Very early on, my good friend Paul Hammersley said to me: “Teddy, your wings are broken, and you need to fly straight.” So then, I knew, if I really wanted to a career in government, then I’d better get my act together. In the winter of 2012, I began doing some research, looking into the peace corps, and other volunteering opportunities that would help me.
In the spring of 2013, the Boston Marathon Bombing happened. It was a ritual for us in college to line up across Commonwealth Avenue to watch the runners run into Boston.
That day, I was there with my college teammate Keith Jones. When the bombs went off, I remember seeing people rushing to safety, and I also saw men and women in uniform, and other first responders running towards the chaos to help. That was the determining factor for me. This was when I decided to join the U.S. Army.
I learned accountability, discipline. I matured tremendously. I learned how to become more selfless and to put others before me. Along with integrity, service, honor and many others offered a variety of skillsets. Character development and moral/ethical values were big for me growing up Catholic and it continued on with the further depth of the Army institution. I belong to a team, and was part of something not about me, but bigger than me! I became a better person, dad to my 11 years old son, a better son, a better family person.
I feel like all of those things were the leading reason why Malden Rising Leaders Inc. is successful in its first year. I had the vision when I worked for the city, but I myself wasn’t equipped. I was not there yet. I had to get right before I could do this work.
Of course, NONE of this would have been possible without my amazing team! They are awesome! I could not trade them for anything. We have since grown. We have 9 total volunteering members of the board. Mekka Smith, Chanelle Browne, Candra Cho, Ryan Figueroa, and Zinnia Khan. They are a lovely group. They work hard, they are passionate, they care.
They’re doing this simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Although I do serve as President right now, they make my job easy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 40 Eastern Avenue Malden, MA 02148
- Website: www.maldenrisingleaders.org
- Phone: 857-287-4340
- Email: info@maldenrisingleaders.org
- Instagram: @maldenrisingleaders
- Facebook: Malden Rising Leaders Inc.
- Twitter: @MRisingLeaders
Image Credit:
Paul Hammersley, IssaGabi
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