Amanda Vorrasi's Internship with Honorable Judge Miller -- and Vision of Right Livelihood

It is an amazing experience to see a young person come into his or her own over four years, before your very eyes.  For me, it is even more meaningful to see how our unique high school environment has been a catalyst for a young person’s personal development, dreams, and plan of action.

I remember Amanda Vorrasi when she was just beginning her high school career at New Roots.  Compact and quiet, Amanda impressed me as someone who navigated challenges life presented gracefully while staying the course with her education.  Little did I know that this young woman was developing a powerful vision for her life and our community with the potential to impact the lives of many people in our region!

Now she’s stepping out into the world. Amanda began a law internship with the Honorable Judge Scott Miller of Ithaca in mid-January.  Her internship involves reviewing legal documents with the judge, helping the judge prepare for trials, observing trials, and completing various law-related assignments from the judge.

Just recently Amanda got good news:  she has been accepted to Sage College in Albany, her #1 choice, with a $5,000.00 scholarship . . . and Canisius College with an $11,000.00 scholarship!!  Amanda reports that she will be a law and society major, which at Sage includes courses in prelaw, sociology, and criminal justice.

In her college essay, Amanda speaks to her life goals.  Motivated by seeing the impacts of the criminal justice system on peoples’ lives, her vision is to “create a rehabilitation program which not only helps the prisoners prepare to reintegrate into society, but also helps them to get more in touch with themselves.”

What a powerful vision, one that cuts to the heart of “rehabilitation” as a healing of the self and finding authentic purpose, not simply training or reforming behavior.  In her college essay, Amanda describes her life’s work:  “I want to work with and help them find themselves and what they really want out of this world. To help them find purpose, and achieve their goals so that they earn a minimalistic percent chance of recidivism. I want to achieve my goals by helping them achieve theirs.” 

In an interview with me, Amanda described her thinking further.  Amanda feels that once someone does something wrong and enters the criminal justice system, they are labeled and judged when they get out. Told to go out and get a job, they face discrimination due to their record.  Amanda says that she “feels like these people need a more in-depth understanding of themselves before they go into the real world and rehabilitate themselves properly – they need to understand why they did what they did, how they feel about it now, and if it seemed right at the time, why?”  She feels that there needs to be more mindful rehabilitation programs so that former prisoners “have a more in-depth experienced that positively effects them, and so everyone can see the change, and they know where they want to be when they get out.”

Amanda’s vision resonates with our philosophy and practice at New Roots of honoring and developing each person’s unique potential.  It is really powerful for me to see how the seeds planted here, in the course of Amanda’s tenure at the school, have the potential to create ripple effects for so many in the future, while inspiring a meaningful right livelihood for this quietly brilliant and compassionate young woman.

Congratulations, Amanda, and best of wishes as you prepare to pursue your dream to create a more just and sustainable future for us all!