Marc Trudel, a second year Massachusetts Inclusive Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) student at Salem State, applied and was accepted to the Massachusetts Advocates for Children in June as their 2018/2019 Young Adult Leader Fellow.
MAICEI, known at Salem State University as the Community of Inclusive Scholars (CIS), is a “college experience” for students 18-22 with an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder while still being enrolled in their high school programs.
As a MAC Fellow, Marc is learning about the requirements of special education law, and gaining legislative and case advocacy skills. At Salem State Marc studies criminal justice/investigation, philosophy, and fitness. In the future, Marc plans to be a social activist for people who have been victims of discrimination due to race, sex, disability, sexuality, and faith. In his free time, Marc is very active in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido and is a second degree black belt. He teaches martial arts and judges martial arts competitions.
Marc is learning a lot in the short time that he has been at MAC. He is committed to learning about advocacy, stating “I want to help students understand the importance of receiving an education in not only academics but also in social skills so they can learn who they are in life.”
Leslie Hughes, who supervises the Fellowship program, welcomes the addition of Marc to MAC’s office: “Marc has been such an asset in his short time here and we’re thrilled to have him as a part of our team.”
The Young Adult Leader Fellowship is a yearlong fellowship that provides young adults ages 18-26 with intellectual disabilities and/or autism to learn the professional skills needed to advocate on behalf of other youth with disabilities.