Mission
To achieve educational equity in Minnesota through academic support and
advocacy that empowers Latino youth and their families
Nuestra Historia (Our History)
Like many grassroots organizations, La Escuelita was born out of
the creativity and determination of a small number of people to address a
critical community need. Their dream laid the foundation for an organization
that has since turned into a locally and nationally recognized after school and
summer academic enrichment and leadership development program now celebrating
its 15th year of serving Latino immigrant youth in Minneapolis.
In the summer of 1991, former CLUES Executive Director Rafael Ortega and City of
Minneapolis Office Manager José Santos called upon Luis Ortega to “put something
together” that would help supplement the educational needs of Spanish speaking
Latino immigrant youth in a cultural context. Luis Ortega enthusiastically took
on this challenge and, on a whim, proposed the name La Escuelita. Thus, with the
support of these initial three people, as well as Gustavo Lanata and Roberto
Avina, La Escuelita entered the world as a three week summer program with a
meager $9,000 budget but a lot of heart.
The first home of La Escuelita was within the CLUES building in the IOC building
on Snelling Avenue. Central to its founding was the "school without walls"
concept that focused on biology, the outdoors, hands-on and team learning, and
physical activity that took advantage of Minnesota’s beautiful parks and forests
during all seasons. Additionally, teachers integrated lessons that required
students to perform presentations on community topics and youth received $100
stipends as incentive to keep them interested and involved. Volunteer staff,
most coming from Brackenridge, received $200.
The first cadre of teachers included Alex la Antigua, Mario Galindo, and Jim
Llanes. These Minneapolis Public School teachers were paid $5.00 per hour when
they could have worked for their regular salary at the district during those
summers. In 1992, La Escuelita moved to the CLUES offices on Lake Street and
during the 1993-1994 school year acquired funding to become a year-round
program.
As Executive Director from the mid-1990s to 1999, Norma Garces solidified
Minneapolis teacher dedication and support for the program. She was also
instrumental in integrating culturally specific programming, a program element
that has become integral to all of La Escuelita’s programming. In 2000 La
Escuelita relocated to Cento Cultural Chicano on Chicago and Franklin Avenue.
Over the years La Escuelita Board members have included representatives from
corporations like Carlos Caballero (Pillsbury) and John Pacheco Jr. (Xcel
Energy), leaders in education such as Raul Ramos and Gustavo Lanata (MPS), and
government agencies Rosemarie Rodriguez-Hager (MN Dept. of Health). In 2002 La
Escuelita moved to its present location in the Instituto de Cultural Educación.
As consultant to Luis Ortega and Norma Garces, Jennifer Godinez helped develop
the 501(c)3 status of the organization.
While Executive Director of La Escuelita, Jennifer Godinez instituted a rigorous
academic structure and leadership component based on best practices for Latino
youth. By 2003-2004, the organizations external funding was dramatically
increased by a major federal grant to develop its community technology center
matching contributions from corporations such as General Mills, Best Buy, Xcel
Energy and ADC. In July of 2005, Mario Hernandez joined La Escuelita as its
newest Executive Director and is guiding the organization through new ventures
while maintaining its community and student driven core. Like his predecessors,
Mr. Hernandez made his mark on La Escuelita forging strong business partnerships
and implementing its college prep program that led to numerous scholarships and
college acceptance for many of La Escuelita youth.
While the Latino population continues to grow exponentially La Escuelita remains
the leading academic and leadership development organization for Latino
immigrant and non-immigrant youth in Minneapolis. Throughout its years, it has
been the unwavering dedication and support of hundreds of volunteers, staff
members, community partners, leaders and businesses, foundations, youth and
their parents that have ensured La Escuelita's success and added to its rich and
vibrant history while paving the way for future leadership. And who knows, that
future leader might one day be a former student.
Staff
David Albornoz, Executive Director
Originally from Venezuela, where Mr. Albornoz earned his Jurist Doctor from
La Universidad Catolica Andres Bello, David joined La Escuelita in September of
2007 after receiving Master of Arts degrees in both Management and Law, and a
Certificate as Specialist in Multicultural Conflict Resolution from Hamline
University. Prior to joining La Escuelita, David was the Program Coordinator of
the Hamline University Education Department and is currently a pre-doctoral
fellow at the Doctorate in Education at Hamline. Mr. Albornoz' research,
advocacy and passion are grounded in educational equity, social justice through
civic engagement and eliminating the Latino achievement gap. Most recently, Mr.
Albornoz was awarded the HECUA/Otto Bremer Foundation Graduate Student
Fellowship in Human Rights and Philanthropy.
Blanca Raniolo,
Program Director
Blanca Raniolo was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and Italian. Mrs. Raniolo has been happily married to the professor Eudoro Olivares since 1982, and they have two sons, Humberto Enrique and Eudorito.
In 2003, Mrs. Raniolo won a scholarship from the Organization of America States (OAS) in Washington DC. Therefore, she attended Hamline University for two years, where she earned a Master in Education in 2005. Previously, Mrs. Raniolo had also earned a Master in Social Communication from Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas, with the honorable mention of Magna Cum Laude (GPA of 4.00).
Mrs. Raniolo's professional career in education started even before she received her undergraduate Bachelors in Education in 1992, a degree that she earned with the honorable mention of Summa Cum Laude. Mrs. Raniolo professional background includes more than 14 years of work in several positions of progressive levels of responsibility, which allowed her to demonstrate her ability to organize, manage, evaluate, control, supervise, and lead.
Mrs. Raniolo has participated in various social project with multilateral organizations, such as World Bank, the Organization of America States (OAS), Van Leer Foundation, and Unicef, to educate and elevate the quality of life for low-income parents and youth in Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia.
In addition to facilitating workshops for adults with a focus on Latinos in low-income communities, Mrs Raniolo dictates courses, seminars and conferences on issues related to community, family, and education for low-income and minority populations.
As a researcher, Mrs. Raniolo has written two books and participated in several international organizations to develop strategies, instruments, and activities to increase the opportunity of education for Latino youth in several Latino countries.
Before becoming the Program Director at La Escuelita in 2005, Mrs. Raniolo was an elementary teacher at Aurora Charter School, which is an elementary school in Minneapolis that focuses on teaching Latino students. She also taught as a substitute teacher in the St. Paul school district. Since 2005, when Mrs. Raniolo joined La Escuelita as the Program Director, she oversees all aspects of programming with Latino youth (grades 6-12), organizes and hosts parent workshops, teaches the teacher workshops, partners with the Minneapolis Public Schools (SES/ALC), and trains tutors both at la Escuelita and as contracted by the University of Minnesota. Mrs. Raniolo is further involved in the Latino community by serving on the Intercultural Advisory Committee at Equity and Dignity (U of M) as well as the Latino Youth Development Committee.
Blanca Raniolo nació en Caracas, la capital de Venezuela, y habla tres idiomas: Español, Inglés e Italiano. Ella ha estado felizmente casada desde diciembre de 1982, con el Profesor Eudoro Olivares, unión de la cual han nacido sus dos hijos, Humberto Enrique y Eudorito.
En el 2003, La Señora Raniolo ganó por concurso la beca de la organización de los estados Americanos (OEA) y decidió estudiar en la escuela de Educación de Hamline University, en Minnesota, donde recibió un Master en Educación, con el promedio de notas más alto posible, 4 puntos de 4 puntos. Además, La Señora Raniolo había obtenido anteriormente un título de Master en Comunicación Social, en su Alma Mater, La Universidad Católica Andrés Bello en Caracas Venezuela, con la distinción de Cum Laude, el cual distingue solo a estudiantes que obtienen sus títulos con un promedio mínimo de 3.90 o más puntos.
La carrera en educación de la Señora Raniolo comenzó incluso antes de recibir su título de licenciatura en Educación en 1992, el cual recibió con la mención honorífica de Cum Laude, con un promedio de notas de 18 en base a 20. El trabajo profesional de la Señora Raniolo incluye más de 14 años de esfuerzos en posiciones de creciente responsabilidad profesional en las que ha sabido demostrar su habilidad para organizar, coordinar, evaluar, supervisar, controlar y liderar proyectos simples y complejos.
La Señora Raniolo ha participado en varios programas y proyectos sociales de organizaciones multilaterales como Banco Mundial, OEA, Van Leer y Unicef destinados a elevar el nivel educativo y la calidad de vida de los jóvenes y padres de bajos recursos en Venezuela, Brasil y Bolivia.
Además de facilitar seminarios y conferencias enfocadas en educación para las comunidades latinas de menores ingresos, La Señora Raniolo enseña cursos y seminarios relacionados con el desarrollo de las comunidades Latinas, la Familia como elemento importante de la sociedad, y con el desarrollo educativo de las poblaciones de menores ingresos.
Como investigadora, la Señora Raniolo ha escrito dos libros y ha participado en varios programas de organizaciones internacionales, con el propósito de desarrollar instrumentos y actividades destinadas a mejorar las oportunidades de acceso a la educación para los jóvenes latinos.
Como maestra y antes de convertirse en la Directora del Programa de la Escuelita en el año 2005, la Señora Raniolo trabajó como Maestra de Grado en Aurora Charter School, una escuela de Minneapolis dedicada principalmente a enseñar a niños y adolescentes latinos. También trabajó como maestra sustituta para Saint Paul Public Schools por algunos años. En el año 2005, la Señora Raniolo se incorporó a La Escuelita como Directora del Programa, y supervisa la programación para jóvenes latinos (desde 6o hasta 12vo grados), las conferencias y seminarios para padres, el programa de enseñando a enseñar, el entrenamiento de los tutores para La Escuelita y las asociaciones con Minneapolis Public schools (SES/ALC), los acuerdos con la Universidad de Minnesota, en donde la Señora Raniolo participa como Miembro de Comité de Equidad y Dignidad y como parte del Comité para el Desarrollo de los Jóvenes Latinos entre otros.
Terrell Webb,
Youth Worker
Terrell is a third year University of Minnesota student seeking a
bachelor's degree in Individualized Studies with concentrations in Afro-American
Studies, Chicano Studies, and Sociology with a minor in Spanish. Terrell is
active in the community as a volunteer and/or member of Yo! The Movement, La
Raza Student Cultural Center and United Nations of Hip Hop Group at the U of MN.
He has an extensive 8 years of experience volunteering with Latino youth in
educational and recreational settings. A native of Minneapolis, Terrell brings
the assets of his multicultural background and fluency in Spanish and English to
La Escuelita as an employee and/or volunteer for over three years.
Volunteer Tutors
After School programming tutors are recruited through partnerships with the
University of Minnesota. Similar to youth workers, tutors are must be bilingual,
have had some experience working with youth in an educational setting, and show
a strong interest in Latino youth development, community, education and/or
social justice issues. All volunteers must submit to a criminal background check
and attend a program orientation covering policies of agency and basic practices
for serving Latino youth.
Board of Directors
Nathan Sirvent, Co-Chair and Treasurer
Nathan Sirvent holds a BA in International Business and Marketing from Rochester
Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. He is currently employed with
Hewlett Packard in Sales and has held similar postitions with Compaq Computer
Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation and Unysis.
Rudolfo Rodriguez, Board Member
Rudolfo Rodriguez has a B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois and a
Masters in Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University. He has previously worked for Unilever & Amoco where he
developed multicultural marketing campaigns, lead customer-marketing initiatives
at Target, and lead global equity and innovation initiatives for the Dove
Deodorant business. He also worked for the Chicago Tribune and contributed to
the launch of Exito, a Spanish Language Newspaper. Currently, Rudy is the
Director of Multicultural Marketing at Minneapolis.
Maria Castor, Board Member
Maria Castor holds an MSW degree from the University of Minnesota. She is
currently employed by Hennepin County Children, Family & Adult Services
Department as a Senior Social Worker in Front Door Access and previously as a
Child Protection Worker from 1992 to 1998. Maria served on the Board of
Directors for Chicanos Latinos Unidos en Servicio from 1989 to February 2003 and
served four terms as Chairperson.
Domenico Baiocchi, Board Member
Domenico has a B. A. in International Studies from the Universidad Central de
Venezuela and he is currently pursuing a M. B. A. at Hamline University.
Domenico is currently a project specialist at Carlson Marketing Group where is
an active member of the increasingly diverse community at the company. Domenico
has a strong background in marketing and has professional experience in South
America and Europe where he worked for Tommy Hilfiger.
Nicole Gonzales, Board Member
Financial Representative, Northwestern Mutual
La Escuelita welcomes applications to join its Board of Directors from dynamic
and dedicated individuals who represent our diverse backgrounds and share a
strong belief in our mission. If you are interested in learning more about
joining the Board of La Escuelita or would like to speak with a member, please
contact David Albornoz or 612-722-1399.
