Participants
Up to twenty-six talented individuals are admitted to the Immigrant Civic Leadership
Program each year.Strong candidates for the program: Participants
reflect diverse sectors, including government, media, philanthropy,
community-based organizations, the arts, and for-profit businesses.
Coro structures cohorts to reflect the diversity of the people and
communities of New York.
Meet the Alumni
At the December meeting of Coro's Board of Directors, alumni of ICLP class of
2009 shared their perspectives on how their participation in the program helped
shape their perspective on themselves, their work, and next steps.
Jennifer Ching, a public interest lawyer and longtime advocate for
working families, noted that despite her considerable experience in the
nonprofit sector, ICLP provided her with a much-needed opportunity to re-examine
her professional vision and purpose. This reflection helped her decide to move
from public policy advocacy as New York Appleseed's Director and return to
public interest law as the new Director of Queens Legal Services, a non-profit
organization that provides free or low-cost legal services to Queens residents.
Ira Rigaud, a middle-school teacher at a Bronx public school,
came to ICLP seeking a broader perspective on immigration policy and
the needs of New York's immigrant families. An overwhelming majority
of his students come from immigrant families, and Ira was seeking to
broaden parent engagement. Through participating in ICLP, Ira forged
an exciting partnership with fellow ICLP alumna Ramatu Ahmed, a
longtime advocate and activist for New York's African immigrant
communities. They plan to develop a project that uses African
storytelling to engage African immigrant parents in their children's
education and local schools.
Marija Sajkas' ICLP experience caused her to make a career
change of sorts. An immigrant from the former Yugoslavia, Marija was a
caseworker with RACCOON, a New York City community based organization
serving newcomers from the Balkans. Marija's participation in ICLP
spurred her to realign her professional vision and methods: a former
journalist, Marija realized she wanted to return to writing and
advocacy. She left RACCOON to work on health advocacy issues for
immigrant communities, and is currently writing about immigrants'
experiences adjusting and navigating life in New York City.
See the biographies of those who participated in the program the past 3 years:
« Back to the program details of the Immigrant Civic Leadership Program
