Since coming to Andover, Emma Goldstein ’09 held the Andover motto Non Sibi close to heart. After graduating, Goldstein continued to pursue her interest in serving the community through campaigning for multiple Senators and holding several positions in government.
Goldstein started out campaigning in 2013 when when newly-appointed Secretary of State John Kerry resigned as Massachusetts State Senator and a special election was held to fill the vacant senate seat. At the time, Goldstein was involved as a student and worked on the senate campaign in Andover. It was only shortly after graduating from Tufts University with a double major in community health and American studies that Goldstein became more involved in the local New England political scene.
“I graduated from Tufts and it was right at the time when John Kerry was appointed as Secretary of State and I decided [that I wanted to be] doing some political stuff that I had not done any of it in college… I decided that to be a political person I needed to help out with the campaign,” said Goldstein.
Shortly after working for Senator Kerry, Goldstein packed her bags and headed further south of Massachusetts to help campaign for Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Goldstein was eventually interviewed for the position of Massachusetts Deputy Director of Boards and Commissions.
At the end of Governor Patrick’s term Goldstein left her position due to the mandatory turnover of state executive office positions. Goldstein was looking for a new job when she was recommended to work under Mayor Walsh.
“It was just a really exciting place to be. Mayor Walsh was a genuine guy, and he was a genuine mayor. There was a good feeling about the mayor’s office,” said Goldstein.
Goldstein also found that working in city government was much more personal level than in state government.
“What is really exciting about city government is that it is the government that you interact with every single day. It is everything from your trash being collected, to your public schools… that all falls into city government. It is an exciting space [because] you are able to be so impactful… That to me, that function of municipal government, felt meaningful so I was attracted to it,” said Goldstein.
Goldstein was not sure of what direction she wanted to pursue throughout her career; however, she always wants to be in a place where people were driven by a common mission.
“I knew that when I was looking for a job, I knew it had to be in a place that had a mission. I believed in the values of Governor Patrick. [Working with Governor Patrick] ended up being a really great opportunity and I got to work with really great people… I worked for a politician that I really believed in,” said Goldstein.
She hopes that in the future that she will continue to have a mission no matter if it is within the government, with a nonprofit, or for a private company.
“I am excited because I feel like there are so many different types of things I could be doing in my future. I would have never guessed that I would be doing the type of work I am doing now and I can’t wait to see what is next,” said Goldstein in an email interview with The Phillipian.
As an Andover student Goldstein reported for The Phillipian, held the title of President of the Jewish Student Union (JSU), and was involved in Andover’s office of Community and Multicultural Development.
“I have always been interested in how people get along and how people work together, and I wanted to be part of some community that I could be a part of,” said Goldstein in a phone interview with The Phillipian.
“In [JSU] it was making sure that Jewish students had a good place on campus to talk about issues or Jewish holidays and with The Phillipian it was about creating a resource for our community and having a source for what was going on at campus,” she continued.
For Andover students, Goldstein also hopes that they will take advantage of the opportunities offered to them while they can.
“At Andover, the spectacular was seen as unspectacular; you could have this opportunity one night to hear a U.S. Senator speak, and then the next night you could hear internationally renowned author. In one week you have five opportunities to see and interact with – on a real level – really amazing people,” said Goldstein.
