Press Release  Miss Massachusetts shared her story with Lowell Motherhood Program participants

Lowell, MA — Miss Massachusetts Gabriela Taveras spoke to participants of the Lowell Motherhood Program recently about her life, obstacles she overcame and encouraged the women to take control of their lives and make better choices.

Originally from Lawrence, Ms. Taveras’ talk was on “Overcoming Adversity.” During the October 16 talk, she discussed her upbringing and some of the challenges she faced including losing a friend to gun violence and being sexually abused all before the age of 13. Ms. Taveras, 23, beat 26 other contestants at the 79^th annual Miss Massachusetts Pageant in July becoming the first Black Miss Massachusetts in the pageant’s history.

“We are so excited to have had Miss Massachusetts Gabriela Taveras come and speak to our participants in the Motherhood Program and to share her personal story. It meant so much to the women in our program and it was an honor to have her take time out of her very busy schedule to provide inspiration to our participants,” said Middlesex Probate & Family Probation Officer Kathleen Michaud.

Michaud added, “The mothers really connected with her. She was very real to them. There was one mother who apologized to Gabby at the end of the night. She said she learned a lesson about judging a book by its cover. Before the event, the mother couldn’t understand why we were having a ‘beauty queen’ come to the group and what she had to offer or how she could relate to them. After Ms. Taveras’ talk, the mother told her how impressed she was with her considering the adversity she had faced in her life and the amazing woman she had become. Many of the other women related a lot to Gabby’s childhood and felt very positive after the talk.”

The Lowell Motherhood Program is one of seven Mothers’ Programs in five counties across the state. The Lowell Motherhood Program is run by Lowell District, Middlesex Juvenile, Middlesex Probate & Family, and Superior Court Probation Officers: Michaud of Middlesex Probate & Family; Jennifer Kirchner of Lowell District; and Kristin Pepin of Middlesex Juvenile; and Kimberly Bowden of Middlesex Superior Court, Lowell session.

The Massachusetts Probation Service helps court-involved women, who are mothers, become better parents to their children. The Mothers Programs typically run for 10-12 weeks and are offered twice a year—fall and spring. Sessions feature interactive lectures by guest speakers who help women navigate the court system, learn about community resources, and offer guidance on working with the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

###