“Dios de salve María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo…”

“I start the class with prayer because we modeled the class based on what their community is,” said Torres, noting that most of the women volunteer at Catholic faith-based organizations.  And so began the second fall session of the 10-month program, which started with a three-week seminar this past August and ends next May. The program represents a joint effort between the Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC) and the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education (GRE).

“We want the women to know that the gate is open, we’re welcoming them here in Fordham,” said Torres, who grew up in the East Tremont section of the Bronx and taught at Aquinas High School, where she chaired the department of religion and was campus minister there. “But we eventually want them to be leaders in both places, in their neighborhood and here at the University. And they come ready to learn.”

Leadership Grounded in Spirituality and Reflection

The course is anchored in the tenets of Ignatian leadership, said Faustino “Tito” Cruz, dean of GRE.

“This program is rooted in the theories and practices of transformational leadership and intercultural adult community education. It is intended to prepare participants for leadership in spiritually or faith-based contexts,” said Cruz. “It provides students with the skills to critically reflect on their daily lives and struggle, interpret the knowledge that is gained from this reflection, and act toward change for justice, solidarity, and service.”

James Stabler-Havener, the IALC’s director, concurred.

“There’s a need and desire for these women to contribute more and be recognized for it, and not just lead in the shadows,” he said.

The students examine female leaders in the Bible and reflect on Latino leadership theories in the bilingual curriculum developed jointly by GRE and IALC. The theoretical work helps them identify and enhance their skills as leaders in the community. Although the women are already established volunteers, the course stipulates and formalizes an experiential learning component of the course, which requires them to volunteer 40 hours at a community or faith-based organization to put their leadership skills to work.

Strengthening English Communication Skills

Nearly all the women hail from the IALC’s Community ESL Program, which is funded in part by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. But this course is more than an ESL class. Rather, it’s a leadership course facilitated primarily in Spanish and peppered with conversational English, said Jesús Aceves Loza, the institute’s community program manager.

“The goal is for the participants to strengthen their communicative skills in English while tapping into their knowledge and expertise of Spanish,” he said. “In addition, some of the topics of the program are designed for participants to use their mother tongue as a means to practice discernment and contemplation.”

Cruz said he first encountered IALC when he approached the staff to help some of the GRE students with graduate-level writing skills.

“At the time I wasn’t aware of how grounded the institute was in community engagement; they’re teaching much more than ESL, they’re teaching professional development,” said Cruz. “For our part, GRE must engage in the life of the community. As practical public theologians, we can’t practice only on the third floor of Keating Hall.”

Cruz said GRE has been able to support the program through grants and gifts, particularly from the Sarah and Jack Knight Fund for Pastoral Innovation and Practice. Cruz said that he and Torres had worked together on a similar program that partnered with Aquinas which helped neighboring high school students there connect with the University. But once the students graduated from the high school, the two observed that Fordham was no longer as accessible to them or their families. By working together with the IALC, they were able to tap back into that community by identifying trusted leaders and offering them much-needed resources and training.

Of the Community

“Eighty-three percent of our students are women and 80% are from Latin America; some have a high school degree and some have a master’s. We got to know them as leaders through our community ESL programming,” said Aceves Loza. “GRE has been instrumental because they have expertise in forming leaders in the Jesuit tradition, though the course is open to any faith.”

Students gain computer skills and communication skills as well, he added. All the women were given laptops as part of the program.

“These tools and skills will give them the agency and confidence to begin working for some of the places they volunteer at,” he said.

Stabler-Havener added that while volunteer work is valuable to communities being served, as well as for volunteers, many of the women could also be employed by the institutions they serve. He said the hope is that earning a certificate from Fordham will help to legitimate the work they are doing.

“These are leadership skills that will translate into better employability and more recognized authority—and not to do the work for free, their leadership is valuable,” he said.

Finding a Calling in a New Home

Raysa Veras moved to Co-op City to take care of her father before his recent death, from cancer. She said that when she was living in the Dominican Republic she worked with displaced Haitians as a social worker at the border between the two countries. Today she volunteers at the shelter run by Xavier Mission in the Bronx, as well as Montefiore Hospital. She hopes that the skills she gains in the course will allow her to do the work she was trained to do back in the D.R.

“At the border, there were so many poor people and for years I helped, but now I want to learn because I want to help my people.”

Aceves Loza said the program offers the women an opportunity to immerse themselves in academic culture and guides them in what’s needed for a U.S. degree in the future.

“Here Raysa can begin to find her voice in this new country by gaining agency and a sense of belonging,” he said. “This is fundamental for anyone who has moved to the U.S. from abroad holding a previous academic credential: the realization of who we were in our home country and the question of who do we want to be here is daunting and powerful. It requires a leap of faith and a support system. And this is one of the most valuable aspects of the program.”

On receiving her new computer, Veras’ new direction seemed clear.

“For me, the computer was a surprise, because [it]is too expensive,” she said. “For me […] it’s mi sueño, this is my big dream, to study here at Fordham.”

“The idea is to support women who are seeking asylum and to make their transition and waiting period more bearable and sustainable,” said Marciana L. Popescu, Ph.D., website co-founder and associate professor in the Graduate School of School Service. “We want the ability to preserve confidentiality and anonymity for online visitors. This is extremely important because we’re dealing with a population that lives in fear.”

More than 79 million people are displaced worldwide, according to a 2020 report from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and more than half are women. Tens of thousands are in New York City alone. Few attempt to seek health care services in fear of deportation, and the pandemic has worsened the situation, especially for women asylum seekers, said Popescu. 

Her Migrant Hub was built thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. In addition to accessing resources on the site, asylum seekers can share best practices and meet women who have experienced similar struggles. The project began in January; the website was launched in late June in honor of World Refugee Day. 

“It’s designed by the women, down to the colors that are used on the website, the images, the graphics, the logo, the website name itself—everything was done collaboratively and driven by the women who are part of this group,” said Dana Alonzo, Ph.D., website co-founder and GSS professor who specializes in mental health. 

Showing the Experts What’s Missing

The website was developed by a team of about 20 people, including a Fordham graduate student and an alumnus. Because Her Migrant Hub was developed in conjunction with the target audience—the women asylum seekers themselves—it is unlike many resources developed by experts and scholars, said Popescu and Alonzo. 

“They are teaching us what it means to be an asylum seeker, to live in NYC and not be able to get the services you need,” said Alonzo. “They are looking at the website and saying, ‘This is what we’re missing.’” 

Among them is Marthe Kiemde, 36, who fled political persecution in Burkina Faso with her husband while pregnant in 2016. She said that during their first four years in the U.S., they raised their newborn in New York City shelters, where they also received career training and got back on their feet. 

“I know many immigrant women who are struggling right now. They don’t know where to go to get any services, especially in health care. They are afraid to go because they don’t have any papers … But this website is secure,” said Kiemde, who helped research immigration and childcare policies for Her Migrant Hub and now works as a hospital dietary associate. “With this program, we’re going to help many, many women.” 

Another website collaborator is Vanessa Rosales-Linares, 40, an asylum seeker from Venezuela. She said she was an anesthesiologist who fled her native country in 2017 with her husband and 8-year-old daughter after giving medical treatment to government protesters and fearing punishment from political leaders. Rosales-Linares said she now wants to help people who were once in her position. 

“[The website has] good information because it’s from many people who have in the past had the same problems. They are telling their histories and teaching how to improve their situation for new immigrants,” said Rosales-Linares, a website designer for Her Migrant Hub and a nursing student at Lehman College. 

‘A Window Into What Is Happening’

In addition to providing local health care resources, Her Migrant Hub simplifies the asylum seeking process and an asylum seeker’s rights in New York City through text and graphics. It also provides an online forum where women asylum seekers and allies can share their experiences and read stories that help them feel less alone, said Popescu and Alonzo. 

This fall, the website will launch several new features, including expanded translation services; a workshop webinar series designed and co-taught by women asylum seekers; and Her Migrant World, an educational page that takes a deeper look at global migration and the people at the center of it all. 

“We hope that Her Migrant World will be a window into what is happening and why people take so many risks to come here and the reality on the ground,” Popescu said. 

‘This Feels Like Home’ 

After project funding ends in December, Popescu said she is confident that her team will continue to make a difference in the lives of women asylum seekers across the city. Within their team, they have also found a home. 

“We talk all the time. All our joys and sorrows started to be shared in the group, so the group provides support,” said Popescu, adding that they chat via WhatsApp. “At our second meeting or so when we first met, one of the women said, ‘This feels like home.’”

The grants—totaling $600,000— have been awarded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. They will fund University efforts to provide mental health services to young people, help women asylum seekers, and teach English language learners.

Fordham Provost Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., said he’s grateful to the foundation for supporting the University’s work in the community.

“Fordham is deeply committed to applying its academic and programming expertise in partnership with organizations in the surrounding neighborhood to help address the most pressing needs within the Bronx community,” said Jacobs. “Through the generous support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Fordham is particularly focused on how it can assist those who have been most devastated by the interconnected crises of 2020.”

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation provides grants to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, aiming to eliminate barriers to care. The foundation’s values reflect Fordham’s mission and those of the organization’s namesake, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who was known during her lifetime as a staunch advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor. The foundation originated from the 2018 sale of Fidelis Care, a nonprofit health insurer run by the bishops of the Catholic dioceses of New York.

Virtual Mental Health Services

The first grant of $300,000 will support a virtual mental health program to be run by the Graduate School of Education called Clinical Mental Health Services in the Bronx Community. It will use telemental health services to reach at-risk students between the ages of 8 and 16. The program responds to the pandemic-related suspension of existing programs that Fordham delivered at schools and community organizations before the crisis began. Four cohorts of 25 students in need of help—whether from stress related to gun violence, racism, the pandemic, or other factors—will be assessed and receive therapy. The program will offer two 45-minute intensive sessions per week for the students. Anita Vazquez Batisti, Ph.D., associate dean for educational partnerships at GSE, helped facilitate the grant and GSE psychology professor Eric Chen, Ph.D., will direct the program.

Helping Women Asylum Seekers

A second grant of $150,000 will be used to help women asylum seekers in New York City gain access to much-needed mental health care. According to a 2020 report from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, more than 79 million people are displaced worldwide, more than half are under the age of 18, and more than 50% are women. In 2019, there were 46,000 asylum seekers in New York City alone, said Associate Professor Marciana Popescu, Ph.D., of Graduate School of Social Services (GSS). Popescu has extensively researched the problem and will be directing the program with GSS Professor Dana Alonzo, Ph.D., a specialist in mental health treatment. With increasingly restrictive policies pushing asylum seekers to go underground, few attempt to access mental health care services, said Popescu. The pandemic has only made the situation worse—for asylum seekers in general, and for women in particular. The project aims to identify the challenges of these women and connect them to services that are within their rights.

English as a Second Language

An additional $150,000 will go toward expanding the Institute of American Language and Culture’s Community English as a Second Language Program (CESL). That grant follows a $116,000 grant awarded by the foundation in 2019. The program provides free ESL instruction primarily to adults in the Bronx in partnership with churches and other community organizations. The CESL program began in 2018 with financial support from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, which has annually renewed funding, scoring the program’s attendance, educational gains, and program management as “above standard.” The Cabrini grant will help the initiative continue to grow. CESL serves more than 300 students and hopes to serve at least 500 a year by 2023.  Institute director James Stabler-Havener will continue to direct the program with Jesús Aceves-Loza, who serves as the institute’s advisor for Latin America.  In spite of the pandemic this year, students continued learning and instructors continued to teach virtually via apps and cell phones. In the coming year, the group plans to build on existing partnerships with community organizations and the city to offer citizenship courses as well. The growing initiative will also provide internship opportunities to underrepresented students at the University.

Despite the many serious challenges New Yorkers faced during the early days of the pandemic, the pivot to mobile learning did not disrupt the commitment of English language learners or their teachers, said James Stabler-Havener, director of Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC).

“Students and teachers persisted with their classes and far exceeded the city’s benchmarks for educational gains. This is a testimony to the resilience and grit of our neighbors and the creativity of the Institute’s staff,” said Stabler-Havener.

For more than three decades, IALC has offered English courses to college students from around the world. In 2018, IALC extended its courses to the Bronx community for free. Since then, more than 450 people have participated in the program, which has also provided free career workshops and programs on immigrant rights.

Supporting Vulnerable New Yorkers

In 2019, Fordham was awarded a grant of $116,679 from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to support the ESL program, which taught more than 200 students in 2019-2020. The grant funded instruction for approximately 70 students, helped secure a new class location—the Immaculate Conception Church on East Gunhill Road—and created additional evening classes at the Rose Hill campus for students who work during the day.

“We are so grateful for the support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation,” said Stabler-Havener. “We’re proud to partner with them in their work to support immigrants and help them succeed.”

Classes started in person in late winter. But when the pandemic struck New York City in March, the Community ESL program—and its students, many of whom are essential workers—took a major hit.

More than 40% of students and staff contracted the new coronavirus, according to survey results from late June. Thirty-seven percent reported they had between one and 12 infected family members, while 6.4% said they had lost up to four family members due to complications from the virus. Meanwhile, they watched neighbors and church community members become hospitalized or die from the virus.

“My husband and I were left without a job, and we could not apply to economic benefits due to our immigration status,” Raysa, a 47-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic, wrote in an email. “My husband, my sister-in-law, and my cousin and I had COVID-19. Many of my friends died in New York and the Dominican Republic.”

Students with children studying remotely from home said they struggled to find space and time to concentrate on their own studies. But they were determined to complete their classes, said IALC staff members. In mid-March, the Community ESL program transitioned to delivering instruction via WhatsApp, a free messaging app available on any cell phone. For the students—many of whom lacked personal computers or the internet at home—it was the most convenient platform.

Every week, students met in three-hour classes on the app. They watched tutorial videos recorded by their teachers and completed digital worksheets. They checked their answers against online answer keys and asked peers and teachers for help via text message. But students and staff also used the app to ensure that they were all safe and healthy.

A Way to Check In

“When we first heard about students who got infected with Covid, we kept track of those students to provide resources—to say, hey, do you have food in your pantry? Can we register you for food services that the city is providing? Have you been tested? Have you gone to the hospital?” said Community ESL Program Coordinator Jesús Aceves-Loza. “It was not only the ESL instruction that we offered, but also keeping track of those students and their family members who were affected by Covid. That flourished out of the community we created on WhatsApp.”

Aceves-Loza recalled students who called or texted him to confirm they had COVID-19 and couldn’t make it to class, yet promised to complete the day’s exercises. Another student, whose husband was receiving therapy for a separate condition after being in the hospital for three months, also continued her studies, he said.

“Those are tiny examples of people who have developed resilience and a desire to be better and to overcome obstacles, and to live to the best of their abilities,” said Aceves-Loza. “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”

‘We Took Care of Each Other’

In emailed testimonials, students described how the ESL program impacted their lives.

Raysa said she can now pick up the phone at work, talk with clients, and speak with her doctor without translation. For student Ramiro Perez, a 29-year-old construction worker from Guatemala, the program helped him communicate better with his coworkers. And for Silva, a 27-year-old woman from Albania, the program helped her become more active outside her home.

“As a mother who takes care of her daughter and stays at home, [the program]has made me active and more social with people who are not in my community,” Silva wrote.

As the students learned English, Yimeng Li, one of three ESL teachers who taught during the pandemic, said she saw her students grow and stay optimistic.

“Even though most of my adult ESL students faced challenges due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were still eager to continue their English language learning,” said Li, a 2019 alumna from the Graduate School of Education. “Even though I couldn’t meet and greet my students due to social distancing, our hearts were always together. And no matter how difficult the problems might be, all the students and instructors had positive attitudes … We took care of each other.”

At the end of April, Li and her students held their last class together. Li messaged them a thank-you note on WhatsApp, recorded with her own voice. In their final lesson, she asked them to write their own thank-you note in English to someone. A few students chose Li.

“I will always carry you in my heart. Hopefully one day we will meet again,” a student wrote to Li and her colleagues in a handwritten note. “God bless you, Jesus, Xiomara, and all those who make this program possible.”