By Elaine DiMasi (exploring a run as Dem. candidate for Congress in NY CD-1)
Let’s Reach Our Full Potential!
I want to grow our Trade Schools, as a third strong pillar to stand beside our renowned K-12 system and our world class colleges and universities. I envision a network of trade schools that site programs in the high schools, so there’s a path that students can find easily and does not separate them from their peers. This is important for teenagers. They’re ready for work, but they need a path.
My commitment to Trade Schools comes from the heart. My high school in Pittsburgh had a connection to Beattie Tech. While I was a senior taking second year physics and looking at colleges, some of my classmates were spending a half-day in English and Social Studies with me, then getting on the bus to go to auto mechanics and technical chemistry. They couldn’t have known it, but I was proud to be their classmate, and even a little envious. The importance of work reached me.
R&R - Reachout and Rebuild 
This is a terrific objective that would give a needed sense of direction to a lot of teenagers. It should actually be grown countrywide.
Thank you John Hooker! I look forward to developing the specifics of a plan for Long Island that can leave a renewed effort nationwide.