Aleise Barnett

Events Coordinator

I am committed to advancing NYU students’ exploration of social, political and cultural issues pertaining to Latino and Latin American communities and excited to announce my candidacy to serve in the Events Chair position for ALAS. My main professional interests include impact evaluation and program development. Prior to coming to Wagner I worked as an independent impact evaluation consultant with the National Council of La Raza and will be continuing similar work this summer at the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Famlia y Población (IMIFAP) in Mexico City. My academic interests include education policy in Latin America, particularly in Brazil and Cuba, as well as immigration and urban education in the US, which stems from my time serving as a NYC Teaching Fellow in Washington Heights and the South Bronx. After completing my time at Wagner, I hope to work for an NGO working in partnership with Latin American grassroots organizations.

When attending the showing of the Bogotá Change documentary ALAS co-sponsored earlier this year, I was particularly struck by the effective and creative approaches to social policymaking chronicled in the film which represented a stark contrast to most media impressions of the Latin American region. I hope to collaborate with other ALAS members to organize and promote similar events which broaden public conceptions, offering opportunities to gain an informed perspective and engender constructive dialogue among the Wagner and greater NYU community. I would also look forward to strategically partnering with other student groups on campus to strengthen ALAS's network and advance the exploration of issues which cross-cut a variety of disciplines. Additionally, I would like to enhance ALAS’s web presence so that students may benefit from and add to the ongoing conversation in an expanded forum. I believe my attention to detail, strong organizational, interpersonal and leadership skills would enable me to serve well in the capacity of Events Chair. Thank you very much for your consideration.