Alumni
Milestones
CPCS Alum Debbie Chambers
Read her story of empowerment in Boston.com:
To tell the truth, she's finally found her path in life
By Johnny Diaz, Globe Staff | February 5, 2006
The woman sitting here in this cozy Mattapan studio apartment
making easy conversation in a T-shirt that reads ''EMPOWERING"
has eyes that carry a soft but unwavering stare. more»
 After
Poverty, Women Coach Others on Survival
Run
Date: 11/28/05
By
Elizabeth Mehren
WeNews correspondent |
Excerpt:
Poverty rates are rising in the United States and the burden
on women is rising too. Diane Dujon and Dottie Stevens are
two who escaped. Now the Boston women who pushed themselves
over the poverty line are working to help others do the
same.... Survivors, Inc.--an organization of
only two dozen women--took root more than 20 years ago when
Diane Dujon and Dottie Stevens met at a University of Massachusetts-Boston
program designed to help women on welfare earn college degrees.
At the time, Stevens and Dujon were enrolled in the College
of Public and Community Service. Neither woman could have
foreseen the relationship that would follow.
To read the article, please go to
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2540/context/archive
|
Jeffrey
Johnson (Community Planning, ‘05)
has been accepted as a HRSA Scholar, a program aimed at training
today's public health leaders for a career in health policy administration.
He was one of 20 young scholars chosen from a pool of 800 applicants.
This federal internship involves rotating throughout the various
HRSA departments in a one year appointment. Upon completion of
the internship, Johnson will be placed in a permanent position
within the agency.
Michael
E. Jones (Certificate in Dispute Resolution, '86)
was in the first Dispute Resolution graduating class. After over
a decade of exciting international work with the Peace Corps in
Tunisia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in
Thailand, and the Asia Institute in Technology, he is currently
a PhD candidate (ABD) at Indiana University majoring in Intercultural
Communications. He was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Overseas Dissertation
Fellowship to conduct research in Thailand
on social movements manifesting
in alternative education and spiritual movements that have influenced
education reform and the re-writing of the Thai Constitution.
Ronnie
Millar (Human Services, '99) was
recently named Director of the Corrymeela Centre in his home country,
Northern Ireland .
Corrymeela has established a worldwide reputation for working
on issues of peace and reconciliation between Northern
Ireland 's divided community
of Protestants and Catholics. Situated on the Antrim coast, 50
miles north of Belfast ,
Corrymeela serves as a retreat center for youth, families, and
adults from both the Protestant and Catholic communities, who
come to meet one another and share their stories in a neutral
setting. As Centre Director, Ronnie is responsible for managing
day to day operations, planning for site and program development
and supervising the center's 20 full-time staff and 12 residential
volunteers.
Mildred
Rothstein (Legal Education, ‘83)
enriches her community ( Littleton
, CO
) through her volunteer activities.
She has collected and prepared albums for the Littleton
Historical
Museum
and the Littleton
Community
Center , documenting their
histories. In addition she does archival work at the Littleton
Museum
and volunteers at the Littleton
Public Schools.
Karen
Sontag (MA in Dispute Resolution, 00')
is currently employed as the Workforce Development Specialist
at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a regional healthcare system
with 4,500 employees. Her focus of increasing healthcare vocations
within the alliance encompasses training, workforce development,
succession planning and organizational development. It involves
interventions at every level of the system from designing “Bridge
to College” programming for employees to integrating newly certified
professionals into the system.
Mary
St. Jean, (Manning Certificate '99) Administrative
Assistant of the Office of Student Services ,
reported on the annual fall meeting of the Alumni Association
of the Manning Certificate Program held on Thursday, November
3rd. Peggy McDonough, Director of the Shine Program of Hessco
Elder spoke to the group on Medicare D Prescription Drug Coverage
and current Medicare Issues. Other meeting highlights included
a brief overview of the Manning Graduates' accomplishments to
celebrate the 25 th anniversary of the program as well as a presentation
to Shirley Jacobs (Manning Certificate,
'97) outgoing treasurer, for her outstanding contribution
to the Manning Alumni Association over the past 8 years.
Deb
Sullivan (Labor Studies, '02) was
recently promoted to Chief Negotiator for all of the City of Boston
contracts for her Union, SEIU Local 888. This job entails representing
2000+ members at the bargaining table with the City as well as
serving as mediator, processing grievances as needed, and preparing
arbitrations. In addition, Sullivan serves as an advisor for the
local on the Boston Insurance Advisory Board and is a trustee
for the first ever collaborative Affordable Housing Trust Fund
between the Union
and the City, likely one of the first of its kind in the country.
Carolyn Taite ('03) is presently work for the
Commonwealth of Mass Board of Registration in Medicine as the
Licensing Coordinator/Supervisor for the Licensing Division. There
she licenses doctors that are going into their residency programs
or going into a faculity program. Taite also volunteers at a Saturday
academy for African American, Latino, and Native American Girls.The
name of the program is Mary McCloud Bethune Institute for Young
Women. This is her second year as Academic Dean and Teacher for
grades 3 through 6.
Stacie Thrall (Gerontology,
‘04) is opening New
Hampshire 's first residential
Adult Day Care in February 2006. Here On Earth Adult Day Services
is the culmination of Stacie's dream and a three year pursuit to
change the face of aging for Londonderry
, NH
's older adult and caregiver
population. She works with local elder advocacy groups to raise
awareness about the needs of the older adult and caregiver population;
these partnerships include the Londonderry
Senior
Center
and Elder Affairs Committee
and the Area Committee on Aging.
From
the UMASS Boston Special Commencement Issue, Volume 9, Number
2, Summer 2005:
More
Outstanding New Alumni
 |
 |
Service
Connections - The E-Newsletter of the Massachusetts
Campus Compact August 15, 2005
The Joshua Project
Michael
Gallerani, an AmeriCorps member with Scholarships for Service,
an AmeriCorps Education Award Only program run by MACC.
“Two hands - one black and one white - one helping the other
over the wall. Doesn’t matter which one is which.”
Calvin Johnson
My AmeriCorps experience came at a time in my life when I was
at a personal crossroads. At no time in my life was I confronted
with such a great deal of personal change; I found the lens through
which I saw myself and the world around me changing so rapidly.
I found the resolve deep within to return to school when most
my age (51) are on the golf course, the decision gave me the courage
to stretch who and what I am. The opportunity to participate in
AmeriCorps gave me a chance to bring my new college experience
beyond the class room. Although we always have that spark within,
I knew that I was no longer a young man who would enjoy the things
of that my much younger classmates would.
I chose my AmeriCorps project from many that were suggested when
I approached the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
with my idea to do something that would utilize my abilities beyond
the typical community service. I am a professional economic and
community development practitioner. There were issues surrounding
my fears and personal beliefs that needed to be confronted. The
experience helped me in my journey of self discovery, there I
was able to learn things about myself and may have found a future
professional path. Until now I was complacent and satisfied applying
my skills in suburban settings and would be satisfied when a project
came together that would improve the physical nature of the community,
create jobs for locals and wealth for developers and investors.
AmeriCorps opened my eyes and mind to other possibilities.
The title The Joshua Project of the project reflects the biblical
reference to blowing down of walls. In this case the “walls”
(perception and image, race differences, hopelessness, making
a difference, of challenge, of caring and of giving) are those
surrounding a community in the inner city.
A team of UMass Boston/College of Public and Community Service
students served to bring the project to reality and completion.
They researched current programs that target the youth of the
Bowdoin Geneva neighborhood and surveyed local businesses to determine
their interest in being part of a pro-active effort to reduce
crime, mentor young people and support the goals and ambitions
of the young Dorchester residents that will be leaders in and
the fabric of the City of Boston during the coming years.
The Joshua Project brought forward a strategic plan – YES!
Youth Empowerment Strategy - that is intended to bring together
the resources available to families and local businesses in a
manner that is efficient and that can provide benefits to the
neighborhood, its residents and the people that shop and visit
an important part of Boston.
As I move beyond this experience, I find that I have stretched
professionally and personally. When AmeriCorps was created by
President Bill Clinton I am sure that this is what he hoped, that
Americans of all ages, races, ethnic and cultures would look around
and help others who share our path.
