Latest news with #NewtonNorthHighSchool
CBS News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Sophomore track star from Massachusetts also empowering young Black women
A student at Newton North High School in Massachusetts has taken the track and field world by storm while making waves in her community, all before she begins her junior year. "I started track in the seventh grade, I mostly wanted to do it because my big sister and my dad did it before me, so I was like wait, why don't I just do track," said Blake MacNeal. "And then I started it and I actually really like it, I like the community, I like hanging out with my friends." Ranked state wide in track events MacNeal currently ranks third in the state for long jump and second for triple jump, an incredible feat for any athlete, let alone a high school sophomore. She's also in the top 15 in the state for hurdles. "I do a lot of jumping because I really like flying, I really like the feeling that I was flying," said MacNeal. "In hurdles, it was like the same thing but now, I feel like it's a lot harder just because the competition has ramped up so much. But I feel like in practices, I still feel like it's my favorite thing to do. Hurdles is my favorite sport, I just love the feeling of it and I love constantly trying and pushing myself." "She's achieved so much at such an early age and she's very humble about it as well and she hasn't become complacent. Another thing I admire about her is she continues to push herself even though she's had a lot of success," said her father, Roderick MacNeal. "It's almost surreal that I have a child that is excelling the way she is." Founded nonprofit to support young Black women MacNeal's achievements don't stop on the track. She's also the founder of the nonprofit Her Space, aimed at supporting young Black women who navigate predominantly white environments in schools and communities. "Her Space, like a space for women to thrive," said MacNeal. "When you have people you can relate to at a young age, it helps you feel welcome in areas, it helps you feel included and I feel like feeling included is such an important thing, feeling like you have someone there for you is just so important, it's such a valuable experience to have at such a young age that we want to allow them to grow up with people that they can relate to."
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
At Naturalization ceremony, a high schooler's words resonate with 200 New Americans
'The United States doesn't guarantee happiness or wealth,' he continued. 'But it guarantees freedom and opportunity—nothing more and nothing less.' Then, in a shift from official procedure to personal reflection, the ceremony turned to its special speaker: a local high school student whose remarks offered a deeply personal take on the meaning of citizenship. Advertisement Michael Barbalat, a rising senior at Newton North High School, addressed the room as the guest speaker. Barbalat, whose parents fled the Soviet Union in 1991 has spent the past two years interviewing immigrants and refugees for a personal project he calls The American Mosaic . 'I've noticed, especially in my school, it has become almost popular to view America, not solely, but primarily, through a negative lens and see its shortcomings,' Barbalat said. 'But I think that through immigrant perspectives, we see all the beauty and power and hope that America represents to so many.' The ceremony came at a time when the Advertisement The new citizens hailed from 54 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Before ending the ceremony, Judge Gorton asked them to stand by continent, illustrating the diversity that, as Gorton noted, 'really does make us the melting pot of the world.' In an interview before his speech, Barbalat said he's documented more than 100 stories so far. His subjects, he said, often spoke of economic mobility, personal safety, and a belief that in America, unlike the countries they left behind. A Cuban refugee whose father was on Fidel Castro's kill list, told him, 'you are the only one that stops yourself. No one will stop you.' That quote, he said, captures the spirit of his project. The idea of America is not tied to one race or religion, 'It's a mosaic.' One of those stories belonged to Sadhak Sengupta, who waited 23 years to become a citizen before attending today's ceremony. Originally from India, he came to the United States in 2002 for graduate studies and now lives in Sharon. 'I've been waiting for this day like forever,' Sengupta said. 'Becoming a citizen means a lot — I came here for the same reason everyone does: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Others had waited even longer. Hector Monzon, 55, of Everett, arrived from Guatemala in 1987. 'All my family is here,' he said. 'And now I'm finally an American.' Some came to the US as teenagers and had to adjust to a new language, a new school system, and the emotional toll of leaving friends behind — like Julia Yeon, who arrived from South Korea at age 14. Advertisement 'It was, like, a whole different thing,' said Yeon, 'but now that I think about it, I'm grateful that my parents actually moved here, where there are more new opportunities.' The themes of freedom, safety, and opportunity echoed across many of the day's conversations. 'I like that you can go for a demonstration and not be caught and put to jail,' said Anna Beken, a Russian-born mother who received her citizenship Thursday, describing why she's grateful for her child to be American. 'I like that I feel safe here. I like that people are very friendly here.' In the hallway outside the ceremony room, volunteers with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition helped the new Americans fill out voter registration forms as they streamed out with their freshly printed certificates of naturalization in hand. Mabel Amar, a MIRA volunteer and Chinese American who immigrated to the United States in 1963, said voting is at the heart of what it means to be American. 'Why do we want to be Americans? To vote, right?' she said. 'How can I be American and not vote?' Amar, whose family 'caught the last train' to Hong Kong in 1949, the year the Communist Party took powerq, said civic disengagement threatens the very freedom and opportunity immigrants like her come to the United States seeking. 'Being a citizen, you need to vote. Otherwise, what is the point of this country?' said Amar. ''I don't vote, I don't care about politics'—then why are you here?' Nathan Metcalf can be reached at
