GREENFIELD — In a small office next to the student food pantry at Greenfield Community College, Nate Woodard has lined the walls with photos of people who have inspired him: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Louis Armstrong and others.
The photos, he said, remind him of the work of those who have come before him and push him to do his best in advocating for change, particularly in his new role as a student advisor to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
“These [are] people who worked for a cause and made that cause a reality and made a change, and I think that was the most important part,” Woodard said.
Last spring, Woodard graduated from Greenfield High School and began his studies at GCC, where he is pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts, with a concentration in political science and a minor in justice studies. He was elected to serve as a non-voting student representative on the GCC board of trustees. Then over the summer, he was appointed as a student advisor to the Board of Higher Education and joined its Student Advisory Council.
Woodard said his role is to represent students across all 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, and work to convey their concerns and ideas for how to improve public higher education in the state.
“My goal every time I’m in a meeting is that I’m doing something for the students,” Woodard said. “I want to make sure that not only here at GCC, but all the other community colleges, that they have wonderful representatives, and to make sure they have the best person possible to feel like they can come to and feel represented at the end of the day.”
The Board of Higher Education coordinates the state’s community colleges and universities, setting policies, reviewing and approving academic programs, developing tuition plans and overseeing the Department of Higher Education.
“The Advisory Council is made up of student trustees, student presidents from all state universities, UMasses and community colleges,” Woodard added. “And what I do is I meet with student leaders to talk about some of the issues that they may have in their schools, and I bring it to our chair of the Student Advisory Council, who is the only student voting member on the Board of Higher Education.
“I’m a non-voting member, but I get to have conversations and deliberate,” he continued. “It’s a great way to be helpful in our community college system, and it’s helpful for our students to have representation.”
In a statement, GCC President Michelle Schutt said it’s an honor for a GCC student to be selected for the advisory role, and she is confident Woodard will do a good job representing his fellow students.
“We are incredibly proud to see Nate bring his voice and perspective to the Massachusetts
Board of Higher Education,” Schutt said. “Community college students bring important experiences and insights to conversations about the future of public higher education. Nate is a thoughtful and engaged student leader, and I know he will be a strong advocate for students at GCC and at community colleges across the commonwealth.”
Woodard is no stranger to politics and public service. He also serves as chair of the Greenfield Human Rights Commission and previously served on the Greenfield High School Student Council. He said he plans to run for Greenfield City Council in the future.
As a child, Woodard said he once dreamed of being a music teacher, but eventually those dreams shifted to politics and helping people. In addition to photos of Black leaders, Woodard keeps a small stuffed “kid president” on a shelf to inspire him.
“I got this when I was in kindergarten, and I’ve always had it with me since, because my teacher told me, ‘You’re going to be president one day,'” Woodard said. “I’m in the line of hopefully one day becoming president of the United States, and it’s my little toy that I keep for some good wisdom.”
Woodard said since he joined the Student Advisory Board, he has been working with other student representatives to advocate for “An Act Relative to Student Mental Health.“
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, would require that the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number 988 be printed on every student ID for public school students in grades six through 12 and students in public colleges. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline directs all callers and texters to trained staff members who are available to provide free, confidential emotional support for those in crisis.
Last fall, the bill was reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, where it has not made any further progress. Woodard said he and the other student representatives have been working with their legislators to push for the bill.
“It’s a really good tool to actually make sure that students, if they need help, they have the number,” Woodard said. “We’ve been emailing legislators from both the Senate and House, and talking about what it really means for students to have access to that number and to improve mental health across Massachusetts.”
As a student advocate, Woodard also plans to push for more efforts to address affordability and expansions of programs that help students, like GCC’s food pantry.
Woodard said he sees students going into the campus food pantry all the time, and as someone who was previously homeless and has relied on food stamps, he knows how important the resource is for students.
“We’re seeing it at the gas pump, at the grocery store — we’re seeing it everywhere,” Woodard said. “Affordability is crucial to our city and to the state. I know a lot of people are running on affordability, and I think that is great, but we need to know what the paths are and what we are going to do for affordability.”
While he plans to continue working to improve affordability, transparency and support for students and educational systems, he added that he hopes his role as student representative will also serve as an inspiration to others that barriers can be overcome.
“Regardless of the challenges you have, you can grow as a person,” Woodard said. “From being homeless for two years and being where I am right now, people never think that it’s possible, but it was and it is.”
