From MCLA Graduate to City Councilor: Alexa Macdonald Joins Historic North Adams Council
January 22, 2026
Just weeks after walking across the stage at MCLA's 2025 commencement ceremony, Alexa Macdonald '24 took another oath, this time in North Adams City Council Chambers on New Year's Day 2026.
The recent graduate is one of six MCLA alumni now serving on the nine-member body. She's also part of a historic shift: North Adams elected its first-ever majority-women City Council in November 2025.
For Macdonald, the impulse to get involved traces directly back to her time at MCLA, where she graduated in December 2024 with a degree in sociology and minors in social work, anthropology, gender and sexuality studies, health and society, and cross-cultural social justice studies.
"My time at MCLA plays a huge role into who I am today and why I had the confidence to run for City Council," she reflects. "One of the biggest things I learned is that everything is a lot bigger than I am and if I want to learn, I need to be willing to step outside of my comfort zone."
As a commuter student, Macdonald initially kept to herself. "I felt like I wanted to get an education and go home," she says. But gradually, she found her footing, asking for help, joining clubs, and connecting with professors including Kerri Nicoll, Anna Jaysane-Darr, and Whitney Gecker. Transformative experiences like an independent study with Dr. Gecker and a trip to South Africa with Dr. Ward broadened her perspective on different communities and social justice work.
Just months after graduating and stepping down from her board position at ROOTS Teen Center, Macdonald decided the timing was finally right to run for office, an idea she'd considered before.
Now serving as the liaison for both the Youth Commission and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Commission, Macdonald has clear priorities: amplifying young voices, supporting families, and fostering community development in downtown North Adams.
"I strongly believe that when young people feel heard and empowered, they are a lot more likely to contribute and stay in the area," she says.
During her campaign, Macdonald faced many questions from community members and used those moments as opportunities to learn what the community needed. She also had to combat her own doubts. "When running for City Council, I continued to remind myself that though I am new to this, that doesn't mean I am not capable."
Macdonald joins an impressive roster of MCLA alumni on the City Council, including Lisa Blackmer, Marie McCarron, Council President Ashley Shade, Bryan Sapienza, and Peter Breen.
As a North Adams native who now works as a youth therapeutic mentor at the Brien Center, Macdonald brings both local roots and fresh perspective to her role.
Her advice to current MCLA students considering community engagement or public service? "If you have a passion or calling to get involved, you must follow your passion. If you do not believe you are capable then others will not believe it either. You can learn a lot if you are willing, so do not feel like you need to know everything before you start."
