NATALIE HIGGINS ANNOUNCES HER CAMPAIGN FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE 4TH WORCESTER DISTRICT (LEOMINSTER)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     February 29, 2016
Contact: Natalie Higgins, 978-602-3772

LEOMINSTER -- Natalie Higgins (D) announced on Monday that she is running for State Representative for the 4th Worcester District (Leominster). She made the decision after learning Representative Dennis Rosa would not be seeking reelection this year.

Higgins, 27, a lifelong resident of Leominster, said her interest in government was solidified during her undergraduate years at UMass Amherst, and particularly during an internship with then-Representative Jennifer Flanagan. “Having such a strong and confident role model in Senator Flanagan, I knew one day I wanted to serve Leominster,” says Higgins.

Higgins, a 2006 graduate of Leominster High School, obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UMass Amherst, earned her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2014.

“Natalie has proven her dedication to her community, through advocacy and public service, with her many volunteer and work experiences,” said Gloria Bachand, Chairperson of the Committee to Elect Natalie Higgins. Higgins is currently the Executive Director of the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM), which organizes and advocates for well-funded, affordable, accessible, and well-staffed public higher education in Massachusetts. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Pathways for Change, where she was elected Vice President in 2015. Higgins began volunteering at Pathways as a counselor for victims of sexual violence and was subsequently hired as the staff Teen Counselor and Educator, leading its prevention programming from 2010-2011.

While studying law at Northeastern, Higgins secured a competitive Rappaport Fellowship in Policy and Law, where she worked in the Cabinet Affairs Office of Governor Deval Patrick, in the Worcester Juvenile Court, under the Honorable Carol A. Erskine and in the Elder Unit of Community Legal Aid. She participated in Northeastern’s Domestic Violence Clinic, providing support for Dorchester and Roxbury residents seeking restraining orders. Natalie even travelled to New Delhi, India as a recipient of the PHRGE (Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy) Fellowship where she worked with the Reproductive Rights Initiative of the Human Rights Law Network.

Higgins explained, “I am excited to have the opportunity to serve my hometown and represent the people of Leominster as the State Representative for the 4th Worcester District. I believe in a government that is accessible and understandable to the people that it serves, and I will bring a new voice for the people of Leominster -- a voice that is dedicated to helping all of its residents, especially for those who feel that their voice goes unheard.”

To learn more about Natalie Higgins, make a contribution, or join her team, visit www.electnataliehiggins.com, or call 978-602-3772.