Abigail Dorcin
Wagner College
Abigail Dorcin is a third year student at Wagner College, and is studying Business Administration with a concentration in Management, as well as Civic Engagement. She has proven to be one of Wagner's model students, exemplifying what it means to be a civic leader on and off campus. She embodies the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts, constantly finding ways to apply her learning and reflect on her experiences. Abigail works alongside Adama Fassah, the executive director of a program called Napela. This program provides literacy and citizenship classes to African refugee women in the neighborhood of Park Hill, Staten Island. In the past two years, she has gone from participant to volunteer coordinator, and has increased the number of both African participants and Wagner student volunteers. Abigail is also a member of the Black Student Union, a volunteer at her local church, and a participant in LEAD, Wagner's yearlong underclassman mentoring program. Abigail is a thoughtful, motivated, and empathetic student and leader, who strives to engage with others in an impactful way to create positive change.
Personal Statement
Abigail Dorcin first started to intentionally help others when she accompanied her father on his missionary work in her native country of Haiti. After the devastating earthquake of 2010, Abigail assisted orphaned and injured children in one of the many makeshift hospitals. She continued her civic engagement when she moved to the United States. Abigail tutored and mentored ESL students and took on several leadership positions. At Wagner College, Abigail started volunteering with Napela, a grassroots organization that provides literacy and United States citizenship classes to African refugee women in Park Hill, on Staten Island, New York. Over the past two years, she has recruited and retained many of Napela's students while simultaneously managing a growing number of Wagner College student volunteers. Abigail is using the management and marketing skills she has acquired in her business classes to help grow Napela. She is doing so by streamlining the services that Napela offers, creating incentives for the Napela students to attend classes regularly, and improving Napela's presence on social media. Abigail is making a significant difference in the lives of the African refugee women by empowering them to see themselves as active, civically engaged United States citizens in the future.
