Patty Escamilla combines her academic interest in education with service to a domestic community
photo by Eric Van Danen
1. What drew you to this particular independent project?
Being Mexican-American, I have always had a particular interest in helping the Hispanic community. I used to think I wanted to do it on an international level by working for the United Nations or the Organization of American States. Then, I thought I wanted to do it on a local level by doing non-profit work, but now I have decided to do it on a more personal level, by becoming a teacher. This project helps me to integrate all of my interests: the Hispanic community, the United Nations, non-profit work, and I will be working indirectly with children.
2. What excites you about working with your community partner?
I am excited about getting an inside look into how the UN functions, and about their initiatives and policies. I have learned concepts and theories in my political science classes, and I look forward to seeing how they are applied in
real-world situations. I am also excited to get a look into how non-profits function, and to help the Hispanic community first-hand through my work with CRIS.
3. What benefit do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?
This type of support group does not exist in Central Ohio. There are support groups in Cleveland and Cincinnati but this type of service is not offered in Columbus. I am excited to be able to fill this need. Recently, I found out that due to the economic crisis, my organization has received funding cuts, so this project is more important than ever because it will accommodate people that had to be cut from preexisting programs due to the lack of funding.
4. How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience once back at Duke?
I am in the Teacher Preparation Program at Duke, and I am working towards becoming a high school social studies teacher. My project will help me understand more about the background and home life immigrant children are
facing, and help me to better address their needs as they arise in the classroom. In addition, if I ever have a child with learning disabilities in my classroom, this project will help me to understand how to assist their learning needs. I might also be able to start a similar project in Durham under Duke's Hispanic organization, Mi Gente, which is always looking for ways to engage in the community.
DukeEngage is featuring 18 students over the course of the summer participating in both group programs and independent projects. Check back weekly to view the latest student profile.