Each week Christine and Salt interview the Badass Woman of the Week, a feature that aims to reward women who have overcome a challenge and emerged stronger as a result. Each Badass Woman wins an empowering B Badass bracelet from The Power to B and is featured on-air Fridays at 7:15 A.M. with Christine and Salt in the morning.
This week's honoree is Melissa Gagne of Avon. Melissa's friend, Lisa Salhany — who nominated her — says, "Melissa was a principal and would sit in endless meetings with parents discussing the special education needs of their child. However, as a parent of a son who has profound autism, she knew she could offer these parents more help then she was allowed to offer. After years of this frustrating process and feeling like her hands were tied and knowing these students would be better served if she was allowed to recommend certain special education programs, Melissa quit her job in the education field and went back to school to become a special education lawyer!" Lisa continues, "She is now a triple threat! She is a mom of a special needs son, she was a former principal and now she is a special education lawyer with her own firm!" That firm is Laviano and Gagne and you can rest assured Melissa has been at every seat at the table when it comes to representing parents of special needs kids — she's been a parent at the table, a school administrator, and finally a lawyer representing kids with needs close to her own heart.
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When asked what it was like to represent families as an attorney, Melissa recalled quitting her job, fighting for her son, going to law school and then finally walking into a meeting as Melissa Gagne, ESQ — all that work "has been for that moment." Wow. Just WOW. Check out the inspirational interview with the supremely badass Melissa below and don't forget to enter yourself or a loved one to be our next Badass Woman of the Week!
