Regina Mosley for Board of Education (Ballot: 12A)

This is a letter of support giving love and acknowledgment to a person who I encountered at a pivotal point in my life. This woman is a significant factor to my own personal trajectory in community involvement, advocacy, and activism here in New London. This woman is Regina Mosley. She is a parent, local resident, community leader, and a canadate for Board of Education in this upcoming election taking place tomorrow (November 7^th). I met Regina in 2013, while taking a civic leadership development course called PLTI (Parent Leadership Training Institute). During this 20-week course we learned many things such as, understanding our personal history and its impact on our perceptions of leadership, thriving with diversity, understanding policy and municipal budgets, becoming familiar with city, state and federal law, assessing and defining problems, using benchmarks and outcome measures, and more. In this training, I was learning these amazing truths and possibilities and still yet had no place to direct my energy towards. There were moments where I would experience self- doubt and even times feel overwhelmed by the life challenges many low-income families face here in our community. Regina, not only supported me a as fellow-classmate, she embraced me as a fellow community member, and parent- ally. She helped me network my way into spaces to further engage and develop and become a part of building a stronger community and local systems. By the time we met, she had already co-founded New London Parent Advocates (NLPA), a grassroots group of parents and community members working to develop a parent community that engages in the policy discussion and the direction of New London Public Schools. NLPA collectively has assisted and even spear-headed some great concrete outcomes in education issues facing our children in the public-school system. Time has passed, and I have continued to see Regina take leadership and a supportive role in our community. I have seen her voice her opinion and make space for those to do the same, even if they may have been different from hers, and work to build a bridge for true collaboration and negotiation to take place. I have watched her stay true to her integrity and values and work towards ensuring the interest of children and community were centered at the heart of the actions she and those around her takes. As a parent of children who have attended our public-school system, she has been offered insight into the strengths and challenges our students, parents, and school system has. She has continued to develop in areas she knows is necessary to fully contribute and created pathways for parents and community members to do the same. I am in whole-hearted support or her and am asking when you go to the polls tomorrow- Vote Regina Mosley- BALLOT Position 12A. If you need a ride to the polls, please call 860-287-2361.