Alumni Profiles
Raquel Batista (New American Leaders 2005)
Executive Director, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights
What do you do when your job demands you to be a problem-solver, fundraiser, educator, organizer, manager, mentor, and leader? As the Executive Director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Raquel’s role is all-encompassing.
"In my position, I must wear many hats as a leader," says Raquel, which is why her Coro experience was particularly valuable to her. "The New American Leaders Program gave me an opportunity to really define how I wanted to move forward as a young, up-and-coming leader in the immigrant rights movement."
With her extensive experience working with immigrant communities in New York, Raquel’s career has been steadily evolving since the day she set foot in the field. Her participation in Coro allowed her to reflect on all her projects and initiatives and to realize that every experience has built on another, getting her to the place she is today. "It has helped me now that I am a part of something bigger," she says.
Teresa Coaxum (Leadership New York 2003-2004)
Deputy State Director, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer's Office
Proud mother of two and optimistic Brooklynite, Teri isn't just working to better her children's future. Instead, she talks about change in much more present terms: "I want to see changes in my lifetime…government can make it happen."
Since 2004, Teri has served as Deputy State Director in Senator Charles Schumer's office. She is in fact the first African American woman to fill the position. Teri's role demands the management of eight regional offices in Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton, Long Island, Albany, Hudson Valley, Rochester, and Washington, D.C. She spends much time traveling to these regions to handle constituent service issues and catering to the needs of the communities.
There's no doubt in Teri's mind that the skills she uses to interface with these diverse communities were derived from her experience in Coro's Leadership New York program. She also asserts that much of her work has been achieved through the relationships she maintains within Coro's extensive alumni network.
Jose Giron (Exploring Leadership 2005-2006)
Bushwick School for Social Justice, Class of 2008
It's hard to find a facet of former high school Youth Ambassador Jose Giron's life that doesn't incorporate leadership. With his hands clasped in his lap, Jose elaborates with thoughtful composure on his time with Coro. "I came to Coro because I wanted to make a change," he says, "I've noticed problems in a lot of schools." Addressing education reform is the focus of the Exploring Leadership program. Jose pursued the program when he found in it an opportunity to inspire real change.
Toting signs and scripted presentations, Jose and five other motivated high-schoolers ascended the stairs of the historic Tweed Courthouse last summer, prepared to share core findings with representatives of the NYC Department of Education about the lack of space and resources in crowded New York City high schools. Relaying a personal experience from his school, Jose impressed members of the DOE with his knowledge and enthusiasm towards education reform. "It felt good because the people at the DOE heard our opinion and knew that [we] may be young, but we know what we're talking about and want to make a change," he says with satisfaction.
Witnessing the changes that have come from his action, Jose is encouraged to continue spreading awareness about important issues. "I want to go to college for African-American studies and pre-law," he says without hesitation. Becoming educated and spreading awareness of racial injustice are on the top of his list, and from the confidence he exudes, it is evident he won't have a problem making progress on whatever he decides to do next.
Patrick Mispagel (Fellows Program in Public Affairs 1995-1996)
Senior Associate, Moody’s Investors Service
What brings a former Coro Fellow and onetime Coro New York staff member to the insurance business? "I like having one foot in the private sector and the other in the public," says Patrick Mispagel, Vice President of Municipal Underwriting at ACA Capital and graduate of the 1995-1996 Coro Fellows Program in St. Louis.
Patrick's job is to assist organizations struggling to access capital to sustain and provide for the much needed services they offer. As an underwriter, he analyzes and structures bond insurance policies for a variety of municipal issuers, including colleges, human service organizations and local governments. "In addition to conducting financial and economic analysis, I draw on my Coro experience to interview issuers and key stakeholders and assess their credit worthiness," says Patrick, never missing an opportunity to recognize the benefits of his experience as a Coro Fellow.
So how did the Fellows Program influence Patrick's career trajectory? "The cross-sector mindset I developed as a Coro Fellow is critical to analyzing the confluence of economic, financial, political, and management issues," he says, explaining the connection between his business and the Coro methodologies he learned a decade ago.
