Angelina Latin is a graduate of Emmanuel College and a student in Boston College’s School of Social Work where she is earning a master’s degree with a certificate in family and child policy, and where she is focused on filling in the gaps she has seen and experienced in education. 

“In high school, I developed a passion for social justice,” Latin says, “and as a senior, I created a timeline for Black History Month that went from 1619 to 2020 because I noticed that in my education there was a lack of Black history outside of the Civil Rights Movement. 

“In college, I developed a passion for research, especially in education, so I did several projects on how higher education curricula can be more diverse and inclusive, and on how the K-12 school climate can be more diverse for students across intersectional identities. I was also able to work with a professor on how STEM curricula in higher education can be more racially inclusive.”

Based on the STEM work, she published an article— “Belonging in Biology: Working through Pedagogical Partnership for Social Justice in STEM” — in the journal Teaching and Learning Together in Higher Education. 

Now, she says, “I’m thinking about age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, immigration status, disability status, and nationality—how they all influence policies that affect people’s daily lives, and about who’s excluded from those policies, even though they should be included in policy development and implementation.” 

For her intern project, Latin is examining Family Resource Centers—which provide help and support during a crisis—and how they can be reimagined to better center family support, focus on prevention, utilize a strengths-based approach, and incorporate a racial equity lens. 

“I’ve been looking at different models in California, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas to see how they provide resources and how this might be applicable to Massachusetts.”

Latin has also met with key players in the space including Paula Gaviria Villarreal from Boston’s Office of Early Childhood; Tufts University Professor Jessica Goldberg in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development; Darlene Spencer, former Executive Director of New Bedford’s Family Resource and Development Center; and Maria Mossaides, Director of the Office of the Child Advocate. 

“In the future, as a clinical social worker, I’ll be working with people. But I also understand that the policies that are in place may not reach these people. So I want to see both sides: that a person who comes to my office is asking for care, and that they may need housing or health care, and that this need affects their mental state and their mental health. There has to be nuance in terms of people and their realities and how we provide resources.”

“There are so many different resources and so many organizations doing important work in Massachusetts, and sometimes they’re operating almost in silos. That’s why there’s so much power in people working together.”