I am a former student of Marie Emerson, candidate for House District 33, and I am writing to urge folks to vote for her on Nov. 4. As a Native American of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, I feel Marie has been very supportive. She always brings out the best in her students through her sincere caring and sharing of her time.

When our diets began changing rapidly in the early 1990s, Marie organized the class to interview all the seniors on both reservations’ census to preserve the traditional methods and recipes. The result of our project was Keepers of the Earth cookbook. We prepared the many recipes and celebrated with all the seniors who participated.

Personally, Marie has encouraged me to follow my dreams, after completing my certificate program in culinary arts, I came back to school years later to extend my knowledge in the area of nutrition, because of the very high rate of diabetes on the reservation.

I wanted to help my people in the area of nutrition. I received my Dietary Managers associate degree from WCCC and was able to make good changes in the school lunch program and senior meal program. I am proud of my work cooking for my people for over 20 years and give much credit to my teacher’s dedication. I believe Marie Emerson will work just as hard and with as much care for the people in her district.

Mark Stevens

Princeton