Grad Student’s Work With Underprivileged Gets Boost

Graduate student Yina Cordero, MEd'19, has been awarded a Newman Civic Fellowship that will aid her work to help the underprivileged.

The fellowship is provided by Campus Compact as a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

It’s definitely a great opportunity to network with people,” Cordero said. “I’m always looking for ways to network in the community.”

The Lawrence, Massachusetts, resident is studying for a Master of Education in Community Engagement through the School of Education and Social Policy. She works for the nonprofit group Community Teamwork in Lowell, Massachusetts for which she makes in-home visits to help expectant mothers find community resources, and to help young children develop the pre-reading, social, and emotional skills needed when they start their schooling.

“We try to work with the parents to be the main teachers,” Cordero said.

Cordero’s profession is dear to her heart. Growing up as a first-generation bilingual American, she advocated for her mother from the Dominican Republic, who only spoke Spanish.

“I like working with people and families,” Cordero said. “It’s stressful, but my family would have benefitted from these resources.”

She plans to continue working with low-income families in the nonprofit sector after graduation.

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