$5000 Machias Savings Bank/Cass Family
2022 Jonesport-Beal High School
“This is just not fair.”
Zoe is dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and included. Voted Voice of the Students two years in a row, Zoe’s advocacy goes far beyond a formal title. She questions authority regularly and stands up for those who don’t have a voice.
When Zoe learned that a new transgendered student was not allowed to use the girls’ restroom and teachers were not using the student’s preferred name, she researched Maine law related to transgendered students. She sent a copy of the regulations, with relevant sections highlighted, to the principal. Eventually, the student was given permission to use whatever bathroom was most comfortable and is now referred to by the chosen name. Zoe’s intervention truly changed the student’s life.
Zoe has a strong work ethic. She puts in long hours as stern-man on her brother’s lobster boat. He says she does a great job: “She’s smaller than the guys, but she works harder.”