Posted by Written by Parker Reed and Georgia Schultz, Editors-in-Chief
PIGLETS, a senior class led by Mrs. Masseo and Mr. Dolan provided students the space to contact leaders in government positions through a range of projects and discussions. While most students contacted local delegates around New Paltz, one group in particular, led by Julia McCloskey, used this as an opportunity to go above and beyond. On Monday, November 13th, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado was invited to speak and inspire at New Paltz High School.
“I never thought we would get a response considering the position he holds in government,” McCloskey said. “But after getting in contact with his assistant, we were able to work out a time for him to come to our school.”
Antonio Delgado, 46, is relatively new to politics. Running for Congress in 2018, he served in the House for a term and a half until he was later appointed Lieutenant Governor under Kathy Hochul. In addition to his run in Washington, Delgado has also majored in philosophy, earned a law degree from Harvard, and expressed his creative side as a rapper under the name AD The Voice.
“I never really thought about politics,” Delgado commented, reflecting on his childhood. “Part of it was because I never really had much proximity to it. [It was never] a reference point, so I felt very far removed from it.”
And because of his upbringing, Delgado places an emphasis on making government personable to young people by helping them find their voice and their purpose. By using his platform, he reaches people across the nation in an attempt to make leadership roles more accessible for future generations. Despite having to commute to work for weeks at a time, Delgado relays the importance of coming home to rest, and spending time with his family.
They are just real people, giving us his whole background, the mistakes he made, and his views. He’s just a real person.
Claire Coiteux
“This work takes sacrifice; you are giving up something. But my family inspires me.” Delgado said with a smile.
The main purpose of inviting the former congressman to NPHS was to give students a chance to see up close what a high-ranking politician is like. Students shared concern that he would drone on and on about legal schematics. Or maybe he would sneakily try to persuade one vote or another as a part of his political campaign. But by the end of the hour, it was evident Delgado came to do one thing: inspire.
“I think we are lacking as officials in creating opportunities for young people to get involved.” Delgado comments as he reflects on the apparent absence of structural support for students.
He reiterates this void when asked about his goals by making a return to his childhood story to highlight how he believes the government should do right by the people and spark curiosity in young minds to take on leadership roles. While this is being done through classes like PIGLETS, Lt. Governor feels as though he himself and others in power should be doing even more to make government leadership roles as accessible as possible to the public. And something students can strive to one day be in those leadership positions themselves. However, it is not just up to the government to teach an appreciation of core values, he explains, but up to the students too.
The Lt. Governor emphasizes that getting involved in the world “starts with your community, your school, team, or club,” but recognizes that “it’s hard to do things on your own sometimes. But there is something really powerful in that. It becomes who you are, and it is so rewarding. You just have to get yourself into the rhythm.”
Delgado aims to create a different life for America’s youth than the one he grew up with, one where students learn awareness, fairness, and appreciation for listening. Again and again, he pushed for sticking up for yourself, creating your own opinions, and taking charge of your own life.
“Leadership is not just grabbing onto power,” begins Delgado. “Leadership is not seeking the headline or soundbite. Leadership is really hard. You have to make yourself vulnerable, care about people, have the patience to listen, and be forgiving.”
PIGLETS, which stands for Participation in Government, Literature, and Economics for Today’s Students, is a class primarily based on student activism in communities. It prepares you for the “real world”, one where the choices you make and how you treat others have real consequences. As our seniors get ready to graduate, it is essential that today’s youth learn the core values Delgado touched on in light of the fact that politics have become increasingly polarized.
It is quintessential for Delgado‘s job to master the ability to compromise and listen, as he is only one facet of a much larger, indispensable machine. In his five years in politics, Delgado has been put to the test, compromising his personal values in order to focus on the bigger picture and maintain a running government. While these life lessons are just a few of the requisites needed to successfully do his job, Delgado hopes the students of PIGLETS can recognize these values regardless of their life paths.
Antonio Delgado looked around the classroom at all the curious faces before him. “Don’t rush,” he responded when asked what advice he would give to his former high school self.
“Don’t wish away your youth. Be present where you are. The freedom you have right now, the amount of head space you have to learn, to experience, to have relationships of any kind, to study, listen to music, read a book, watch theater. You can live in a way that you can really tap into your experience, and I don’t want you to not see that.”
As a class of all seniors, hearing this really struck a chord with a large portion of the students, seeing as they are beginning to come to a close on their high school careers and embark on adventures of their own. So not only was this piece of advice poignant because the seniors feel as though time is running out, but also because the words were unexpected coming from someone like the Lt. Governor, who is in his prime. And yet, after all he has accomplished, he makes it his mission to let the students know he was once in their shoes, just a high schooler scared of what the future could hold.
It was touching to see and hear that from somebody who is at the top of our state. It was nice to feel like we were not alone.
Gabby Lutz, Senior
“I think him coming in was really important right now considering the part of our lives we are in,” Justin Coiteux mentions. “We are all trying to make the right decisions, worried about college, and the fact that he is so successful even though he made so many decisions he felt were not right is comforting. He ended up being okay, and I will too.”
And as the group neared the end of their reflection on their experience, they all came to a consensus that, minus all the press and bodyguards following him, the Lt. Governor was through and through just a human being like them. Someone who has cried, loved, built a family, toiled with trial and error, made mistakes, and learned from them. If his job as a leader was to represent the community, then they themselves had the potential to fulfill their infinite capacities, just as he had done himself when deciding to pursue his dreams.
“For me, this is the work I believe has a lot of meaning.” Delgado says, smiling at the sea of students before him. “I’m not here to tell you who to vote for; I will never do that. But I will say, do not ever let somebody tell you your vote doesn’t matter. There is something about being young [and] still have[ing] the capacity to dream. Don’t silence yourself.”
The Maroon 