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| Shamir and Shalmai bring a contagious energy and drive to Lowell CHC's Developing Leaders Council. |
If you have the good fortune of knowing Shamir and Shalmai, you probably feel like you won the lottery.
Committed, hardworking, quick to laugh and quicker to lend a hand, these sisters have a way of getting things done - with pizzazz.
As you can imagine, twins Shamir and Shalmai have a lot in common. At Lowell CHC, we're especially grateful that they share a desire to give back - which led them to join our Developing Leaders Council (DLC), a group of young professionals who volunteer as community ambassadors for Lowell CHC.
Despite identical upbringings, and smiles, the two have taken slightly different paths.
Not long before they were born, the twins' parents relocated here from Puerto Rico to provide new opportunities for their growing family. From the very beginning, their mother set a high bar for community service, doing outreach work in the Acre neighborhood and eventually working for the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership for 12+ years.
Shamir and Shalmai attended Lowell Public Schools, working hard and making their mark. "We were nerdy. We loved school," Shamir shares with a big laugh.
"Growing up here, we both have a lot of love for this city, there is so much richness," adds Shalmai.
They spread their wings beyond Lowell to attend Bowdoin College, eventually joining the first generation in their family to graduate college.
At Bowdoin, both gravitated toward the social sciences, but neither settled on a clear career path. Glimpsing a future even she couldn't yet see, someone at the Career Center recommended that Shamir explore non-profit work, but she wasn't ready to make that leap.
Instead, she took a job at Constant Contact (the service that sends out emails like this), which sparked an unexpected career in technology. It challenged Shamir's mind, but not her heart. As fate would have it she ran into the Project LEARN team at a Lowell High alumni networking event and she jumped at the chance to join the growing organization supporting Lowell Public Schools.
Shalmai also landed in tech. She joined Shamir at Constant Contact, where she's made a home for the past eight years, navigating different roles and corporate transitions. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit and a not-so-secret desire to create a family compound in Pawtucketville, she also began a side gig selling residential real-estate.
It's clear how much these two women care about their city. So, when former Lowell High classmate Beth (Regan) Knudson approached them in 2016 about joining the brand new DLC, the two were happy to step up. Ever since, they've worked on countless fundraisers and community initiatives on behalf of the Health Center.
"The DLC is a young, energetic group of people who want to get stuff done, support the Health Center, and learn about and engage in the city we love," says Shalmai with deep pride.
For these two driven, committed sisters, the Health Center's mission is one that feels very personal - which has motivated their work year after year.
"We both feel strongly that having a local community health center is so important for a city like Lowell. The Health Center always goes above and beyond. Everyone at Lowell CHC really cares."
Interested in learning more about the Lowell Community Health Center's DLC? Email claregu@lchealth.org.
