Multilingual Ambassador Program

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The VCU Multilingual Ambassador Program (MAP) is one of only five projects selected for REAL Challenge Grant funding as part of the 2021 REAL Grants Initiative. The program aims to connect multilingual students at VCU with multilingual students in Region 1 K-12 schools in central Virginia.

The overall goals of the program are to:

1. support the confidence building, identity development, and community building of multilingual students in Region 1 public schools; and
2. provide high-impact leadership opportunities for multilingual Spanish-speaking students at VCU.

According to the Virginia Department of Education, the drop-out rate for English language learners (ELL) was 25% in Virginia in 2020. In comparison, the drop-out rate for non-ELL students was only 3.22%. The ambassador program will place VCU students in K-12 schools to provide in-school ELL tutoring, mentoring, and career and college readiness presentations, which will support student success as well as future generations of potential VCU students. There are five individual schools participating across four districts: Dinwiddie Public Schools, Henrico Public Schools, Petersburg Public Schools and Richmond Public Schools, representing over 500 English Learners (ELs) from elementary through high school ages.

Read an article about the VCU Multilingual Ambassador Program.

Lead Contacts

Jenna Lenhardt, Director of Strategic Recruitment and Outreach, (804) 827-6847, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Jenna Lenhardt, Ph.D., leads the Office of Enrollment Management. She develops strategic recruitment plans for graduate programs and directs partnership engagement and outreach. Jenna grew up near Ithaca, N.Y.

Jada Wright, Undergraduate Recruitment Coordinator, (804) 828-3715, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Jada Wright coordinates recruitment events and activities on campus and throughout the Greater Richmond area, conducts information sessions for prospective students, and collaborates with university and community partners.

Program Ambassadors

Allison Barrientos, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Allison is a junior majoring in Psychology on the Pre-Medicine track. She grew up in Arequipa, Peru, and came to the U.S.A. at 4 years old. She plans to go to medical school and become a psychiatrist.

Alondra Zubiate, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Alondra is a freshman from Los Angeles, California. She is majoring in Forensic Science with a concentration in Physical Evidence, hoping to become a crime scene investigator.

Andrea Cabral, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Andrea is a sophomore majoring in Clinical Radiation Sciences and is planning to minor in Psychology. Her hometown is Sterling, Virginia.

Ashley Parra, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Ashley is a senior majoring in Psychology and Social Welfare. Her hometown is Arlington, Virginia and she is Peruvian and Ecuadorian. She loves to cook, work out, and meditate.

Cindy Buezo-Sanchez, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Cindy is a sophomore majoring in History and minoring in Political Science. Her hometown is Charlottesville, Virginia.

Daniella Medina, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Daniella is a sophomore on the nursing track. She grew up in Centreville, but really spent a lot of her time all over Northern Virginia.

Emily Chirinos-Molina, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Emily is a senior majoring in Fashion Merchandising and minoring in Media Studies. She is originally from Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Fabiana Landivar Quintela, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Fabiana is a sophomore majoring in Cinema and planning to minor in Political Science. Her hometown is Woodbridge, Virginia.

Laura Calzadilla, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Laura is a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security. Her hometown is Arlington, Virginia.

Laura Escamilla, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Laura is a senior majoring in Fashion Merchandising and minoring in Marketing Insights. She is from Colombia and moved to the U.S. at age 18.

Maria Lopez-Escalante, SOEinfo@vcu.edu
Maria is a sophomore majoring in Pre-Radiation Sciences. Her hometown is Arlington, Virginia.