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. ■