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It Is All About THEM, Our Students!
—María Juncos-Gautier, Executive Director
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As the new Executive Director of the LEI, I spent the last few months visiting our successful K-16 programs. I learned more about implementation, curriculum facilitation and student population, including our college student facilitators and mentors. Essentially, the heartbeat of our existence–because it is all about THEM, the youth and families we serve.
I chose to accept the challenge and joined the LEI after learning about its mission to support Latinx/BIPOC students and their families in achieving success in both school and life. New beginnings do present challenges, but they also present fantastic opportunities. The chance to serve THEM has kept me focused these past few months. Mahatma Gandhi said that "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others," and to lose yourself means to do it passionately, without the need for praise or reward. I wholeheartedly believe that when we serve and lift others, and do so collaboratively with humility, we all truly rise!
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LEI's LIDER Hits The Ground Running! | |
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LEI's LIDER program gets high school students ready for college.
On February 18th, The Latinos Involved in Discovering Educational Resources program (LIDER) hit the ground running with eager students from the Worcester Public Schools (WPS).
The LIDER program is an excellent opportunity for high school students to get ready for college. In addition to participating in educational workshops to learn about goal-setting, applying to college, the FAFSA, and much more, students also build ties with WSU faculty by taking a sociology course and earning three college credits. They will also visit a number of colleges and universities throughout New England. So far, trips to Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Yale University, and Columbia University are already on the calendar.
The program is headed by Coordinator Marissa Kelly and Co-Facilitators Alexandra Pizarro and Josaphat Barcenas Argueta.
According to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), 4,333 fewer high school seniors enrolled in college in fall 2021 than fall 2019. Latinx students are the only growing population of college-age youth in Massachusetts. It is imperative to increase college enrollment rates through programs like LIDER.
LIDER meets on Saturdays at WSU's Sullivan Academic Center from 10am to 1pm. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Alexandra Pizarro at 939-217-8732 or via email at apizarro@worcester.edu
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First LIDER session
One important aspect of community-building is to collectively create community agreements to ensure all members of the group feel respected and heard. After working together to brainstorm what was important for the success of the group, all of the students signed the “LIDER Community Agreements'' document, which is a living document and will be displayed each week during programming.
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College Tour at Quinsigamond Community College (QCC)
Students from the YCU and LIDER programs went to QCC for the first college tour of the season! They learned all about the amazing programs that QCC offers its students, toured the campus, and even went home with some QCC swag!
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Field Trip to Altitude Trampoline Park
Students from the YCU and LIDER programs enjoyed a team-building day at Altitude Trampoline Park during winter vacation. The group took a quick breather from jumping to snap a picture together before returning to the fun!
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2023 WSU Wellness Expo: Health and Wellbeing
Last month, the LEI Health Ambassadors Team attended the 2023 WSU Wellness Expo to provide educational materials to attendees, including nutrition information provided by WSU professor Dr. Mariana Calle. The WSU students were happy to learn that the LEI has a program specifically geared towards health and wellbeing. This program provides an experiential learning opportunity for students before they graduate. Julia Freitas (in the photo she is on the right), a WSU Public Health major, joined the LEI Health Ambassadors Team this semester for her Health Practicum.
LEI attends the SOPHE (Society for Public Health Education) Annual Conference
In March, The LEI Health Program Manager, Claudia Paiva, will join the WSU Health & Sciences Department to attend the Society for Public Health Education Annual Conference (SOPHE) - “The New Age of Civil Rights, Advocacy & Equity,” in Atlanta, GA. WSU faculty, Dr. Andrew Piazza and Dr. Jaime Vallejos, in collaboration with the LEI Health Ambassadors Initiative, will present the COVID-19 Impact on Youth/Teens Focus Group work.
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LEI Health Ambassadors Team invited by Department of Research at Harvard Medical School
The LEI Health Ambassadors Team was invited by the Department of Research at the Harvard Medical School to support a new project within the Great Brook Valley area. There are plans to meet with professors, physicians, and experts to develop new educational resources regarding all the social determinants of health, including economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
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We Rise By Lifting Others!
- Robert Ingersoll
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Birds cannot rise to the sky without the uplifting wind beneath their wings. That is precisely what Carmen Rosado has been for more than 20 years—a strong wind beneath the LEI's wings!
Special recognition to Carmen Rosado for her over 20 years with the LEI lifting families and students through passion and dedication. She is a force working diligently behind the scenes without a need for the limelight. Her focus has always been to exalt the Latinx/BIPOC youths we serve and to support and educate their parents/caregivers to achieve LEI's mission. She brings a wealth of experience after 30 years of work with WPS, first as a School Adjustment Counselor and later as an Education and Career Advisor.
Carmen has been a lifeline supporting our Parent Navigation Center, inspiring and serving as a a role model and mentor to our youth, their parents, and staff. And when the going gets tough she is always available, going above and beyond the call, to help us fill any gaps in our programs with her unconditional support. Thank you, Carmen! You are a gem to the LEI!
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"It has been such a pleasure to work with Carmen. Throughout the years together, we have planned and organized many activities and events. She's the kind of person who loves the work that she does, and it shows! She does everything with a smile and a positive attitude ¡y con muchas ganas! I love working with her because I know everything we do together will be "FIRE"! Carmen is such an amazing woman, role model, mentor, leader, and friend. I'm so grateful for her wisdom, inspiration, and for the ways she's helped me grow professionally and personally."
—Kathy Orengo, Program Manager, LEI's K-12 Programs
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"Since I arrived in Worcester, Carmen has been all smiles. Her positive energy and sunny disposition as a community member who immediately opened the doors for me, was a huge relief amidst all the changes I was going through with a new job, city, and community. She has been an open book, an advisor about the LEI and community issues, and a new dear friend in Worcester."
—Maria A. Juncos-Gautier, LEI Executive Director
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Anabelle Santiago
One of our LEI Health Ambassadors, Anabelle Santiago, was selected by Worcester State University Scholarship Committee to receive the Joseph. V. Kane Endowed Scholarship. In Anabelle's words: “I hope to continue promoting health and well-being through my work as a LEI Health Ambassador. After I graduate, I plan to pursue a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) at Boston College. The LEI has helped me greatly to develop skills in numerous areas such as assessments, program planning and evaluation, communication and public relations, project management, and cultural and language competency.”
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Anabelle Santiago is a 3rd-year student at Worcester State University pursuing a double major in Public Health & Business Administration with a minor in Economics. She is a 4.0 GPA student. Every year she is included in the Dean’s List, and has been awarded several scholarships.
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Let's All Rise Together For The Students We Serve! | |
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We seek to continually improve our services for the Worcester community. To do that, we count on your continued sponsorship, collaboration, and commitment to help us excel.
We look forward to our ongoing work together!
The LEI Team
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We appreciate the commitment of our funders whose generous financial support has made it possible for us to carry out our mission through 2022 and beyond.
Balfour Foundation * City of Worcester * Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) * Department of Higher Education (DHE)* Fred Harris Daniels Foundation * Greater Worcester Community Foundation * Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) * Nellie Mae Education Foundation * Reliant Foundation * Springfield Empowerment Zone* United Way of Central Massachusetts * United Way of Central MA - Women's Initiative * Worcester Division of Public Health * Worcester Public Schools
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Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University
Visit our website at worcester.edu/LEI
Contact us at 508-798-6507 or at LEI@worcester.edu
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