Katherine Moronta Rodriguez
Susquehanna University
Katherine Moronta Rodriguez is a third year student whose commitments and experiences are the embodiment of Dr. Newman’s vision for the Fellows program. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Susquehanna University Service Leader Program where she devotes 6-8 hours per week mentoring at-risk children. She also volunteers to educate her community about election issues, guiding people on where to vote, and serving as a translator on Election Day. Through her work as a Cultural Vistas Fellow, she brought her commitment to civic engagement to autistic children in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is committed to promoting service as a means of bettering communities on campus, locally, and across the world.
Personal Statement
Youth involvement to me is being active and being part of the help for a change. As a Susquehanna student and Service Leader my understanding of youth involvement has grown for me. Being a Service Leader on my campus is spending 110 hours each semester working with a community partner that focuses on youth development. I volunteer at the Regional Engagement Center where I get to spend my time working with kids from the 3rd to 12th grade. My involvement to care about these children has given them motivation to keep getting good grades and stay positive to make their future as bright as it can be. This inspired me to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina and volunteer to help with a non-profit organization called Brincar, to help children with autism for two months this past summer. This experience made me realize that help is needed everywhere. Only by working together can we face these challenges together. This is why I decided to also attend protests defending women’s rights to make abortion legal while I was in Argentina. Throughout these experiences I have learned that there’s so much left to see and do around the world to help each other.
