CHAPEL HILL (November 4, 2021) – When there aren’t many folks like yourself in your field, it helps to have some support.

That’s what the LatinxEd Fellowship builds: A network of Latinx educators across North Carolina who share experiences and strategies through summer retreats, online workshops and webinars.

“I feel like I’m seeing things unfold that I’ve never seen unfold in our state, with regards to the Latinx leaders, the Latinx community … the leaders that are taking on important roles to change the way that Latinx communities are living in the state,” Yuliana Rodriguez, a clinical associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Education, says in the accompanying video.

“I’m meeting and connecting with people who have that vision, who have that passion – seeing us come together, seeing us making those connections and really pushing for change,” she says

“These are things that as a young kid I didn’t know would happen,” Rodriguez says. She recalls how, when she was a child in Winston-Salem, her family had to travel an hour to reach a Mexican market and find tortillas.

“Now … I’m a professor at UNC Chapel Hill – like, how does this happen? So it’s amazing to see the change that’s happening,” she says. “How our community is being uplifted in ways that I could only dream of when I was a young kid. 

“That is life-changing.”

“Advocating for my community is super important,” Rodriguez says. “For me, what I’m getting out of connecting with all of these fellow Latinx leaders – it’s just sparking my fire even more! Because it’s like, ‘Wait a minute – it’s not just me. It’s a lot of us.’

“Together, we’re stronger. So it’s been wonderful to be able to connect with people who I can also learn from,” she says, her voice rising again.

Though members of the group bring different types of expertise, she says, “When we come together and share that, we empower one another.”