SHARE:  
Contact Us: (800) 894-7201
THE PESA POST
The latest news, views and announcements from Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

December 3, 2020
This Is a Movement
PESA’s passionate Regional Director Madison Laster has achieved more in a few short years than many do in a lifetime. And she’s just getting started.
If, like many people, you feel you frittered away your high school years in typical teen fashion, don’t look to Madison Laster expecting to be disabused of that notion. Consider the following:

  • As a freshman at Redondo Union High, Laster volunteered as a Teen Court juror and was immediately hooked on the program. She became a court clerk and joined the campus Teen Court club, later becoming its president.

  • While most students would be spending summer break basking poolside in the sun, Laster went deep into the SHADES program (Stop Hate and Delinquency by Empowering Students) at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. 

  • All the while, she took so many courses at her local community college that by the time she graduated high school and enrolled at Sacramento State University, she had enough credits to enter as a junior—and graduate with honors and a political science degree just three semesters later.

Is it any wonder PESA snapped her up to become its regional director of South Bay, a position that has her overseeing the Teen Court clubs in area schools, as well as developing educational curriculum.

“The Teen Court environment is amazing,” says Laster. “From the judges to the teachers to fellow students, everyone is excited to be part of something bigger than themselves, to make an impact on society through a collective. This is a movement. We are reforming the juvenile justice system for the better. We are giving kids a second chance at life before the “official” justice system takes them and puts them on a different path."
At just 21 years old, Laster practices what she preaches: In addition to her work with PESA, she serves on the board of directors of the Washington D.C.-based National Parent Teacher Association, and just this past election cycle, she ran for a position on the Torrance Unified School Board of Education. “It was a very close race,” she says without a hint of disappointment. “I was short by just a couple thousand votes, but it was a great experience. I do think it cleared a bit of a pathway for young leaders who want to make a difference in their community to step up into office.”

Laster’s passion for education is palpable. As a result of her campaign, she says, “My work with PESA has been enhanced because I have a better understanding of how the education system works. Campaigning was a learning experience for how politics work on a local level, how elections run, how a school board functions and how that trickles down to students and what PESA and Teen Court can do to benefit those students.”

Indeed, Laster is taking her experiences running for office and creating a new PESA educational curriculum on “Civic Engagement.” “It’s very powerful to show high school students that they can run for office,” she says, “and that win or lose, they’re making a huge step for our generation, showing people that we can be great leaders.”

PESA is proud to have Laster on its team, and we have a hunch we’ll all be seeing and hearing more from this dynamic young leader.