Name: Ramona Santos Torres
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island
Program: Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy, Brown University
Education: Bachelor of Social Work B.S.W., Rhode Island College
What drew you to the Urban Education Policy (UEP) master's program at Brown?
What drew me to the UEP program was my lived experience as a parent of a child with disabilities attending Providence Public Schools, dealing with the challenges of accessing the most basic services for my daughter. This experience led me to co-found Parents Leading for Educational Equity, a family advocacy organization fighting to improve public education for students of color. Through my personal and professional experience, I've seen firsthand how policy decisions affect students and families, especially those in marginalized communities. The UEP program stood out to me for a couple of reasons. First, the faculty is excellent, I can’t say enough about them. Second, the interdisciplinary nature of the UEP program presents a unique platform for me to further explore the intricacies of educational policy-making.
Where is your internship placement and what are you working on?
My internship is with the Rhode Island Center for Justice, an organization that partners with community groups to protect legal rights and ensure justice for vulnerable individuals, families, and communities. I am working on understanding the strengths and limitations of using class action lawsuits to resolve special education issues. The ultimate goal is to create a decision-making matrix to help community organizations better determine when it is appropriate to use class action lawsuits to address special education issues.
What do you hope to accomplish through the UEP program?
Through the UEP program, I want to leverage my experience as a parent organizer to address the complexities and dysfunctions inherent in school governance. My experience navigating bureaucratic layers, conflicting interests, and diverse stakeholder perspectives has highlighted the need for improved decision-making processes within educational institutions. I hope to acquire the necessary tools and skills through the UEP program to support parents and caregivers to enhance their understanding and advocacy skills so we can collectively push to create more responsive and inclusive school governance structures.
Who is your #1 inspiration in your life?
My inspiration is the women in my life, my mother, my grandmother, and my daughters. I have the privilege of coming from a lineage of matriarchs who have always been providers, caretakers, and creators. My grandmother and my mom were the most hardworking women I have ever seen, so fierce! I can see my daughters being the same way and I couldn’t be prouder.