Written by Javier D Rincon, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2025
Creation Phase
As a Latino who has experienced the full immigrant journey, I initially believed I could easily relate to most immigrant communities. However, my perspective shifted when the opportunity arose to help establish an academic program in Danbury, CT during my third year of medical school. Working with Dr. Majid Sadigh, director of the Nuvance Global Health Academy (NGHA); Elvis Novas, President of the Dominican Community Center (DCC); and Jason Nova, Program Leader of the DCC, we aimed to create a summer academy for Latinx high school students.
Excited and confident, I thought I possessed the necessary tools and shared experiences to effectively communicate the program’s goals and benefits to the Latinx population. Yet, I soon encountered unexpected challenges that made me realize how easily one can become an outsider in their own community.
The academy’s goals were straightforward yet ambitious, determined before my involvement (thank you, Dr. Jett Choquette). The NGHA and DCC envisioned a unique summer program that would follow high school students for all four years. The program aimed to impart essential life skills, such as financial literacy, leadership, knowledge of general health, and community service, which are often lacking in traditional school education.
These critical skills for personal growth and development might be missed in homes where parents have to work around the clock or might not have learned them themselves due to a lack of opportunity and resources. Classes would be taught by Latinx leaders from various fields in the Danbury community, providing direct examples of accomplishment and dedicated mentorship. The project was dubbed the Youth Academy for Latinx Leaders (Y.A.L.L.) or Academia Juvenil De Lideres Latinos.
Global Health Diaries 