By Kirsten Sanchez
Alethea Williams, a resident of the Pelham parkway neighborhood and also head of Youth Leaders On The Move, boarded a bus to Albany with 10 students from Trueman High School on Friday, February 17.
The bus, which left at 8:15 A.M., was headed to Albany to the The New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.
Williams said the group formed about two years ago, and has about 10 members.
“Our whole motto is that we are trying to change the youth of today into leaders of tomorrow,” she said. “We are trying to introduce high schoolers to a whole bunch of new things that they wouldn’t get to come in contact with, if it wasn’t for this opportunity.”
Williams said the trip is an annual occurrence she and her mother have been doing for about ten years.
“It started with my mom taking me and some friends and classmates when I was in middle school,” Williams said. “It evolved, when I got to high school, we would take some of my high school classmates, and when I got to college my mom started taking students who wanted to go from the high school.”
According to Williams, when she formed the group two years ago, she thought it would be a great opportunity to show students in high school what opportunities there are for them, and she wanted to expand the group to other high schools in the Bronx.
“This is the first time we are including another high school,” she said. “The group we are taking this year is The Collegiate Institute for Math and Science, which is located on Columbus High School’s campus.”
The trip is mostly for Juniors in high school, because Williams feels it is a good year and also great opportunity for students to start networking.
Patricia Williams, Alethea’s mother, said Althethea’s inspiration to get involved in politics started with a visit from Hillary Clinton at her middle school graduation luncheon.
“She has grown up around politicians from two years old,” Patricia said. “ I would love to give the same thing to all the other kids, which is why I started this group and trip.”
Williams said her involvement with Youth Leaders On The Move is much the same as her mother’s.
“I’ve had a lot of contact with the political field, and a lot of opportunities that other kids my age didn’t,” Williams said. “I wanted other kids to have those chances too.”
