ReWork Student Researcher Receives Best Community Project Award

Marisol Granillo Arce receives 2019 Best Community Project Award at Switzer Plaza at UCLA.

Marisol Granillo Arce, graduate student researcher for the Labor Center’s ReWork project and UCLA MPH candidate, was awarded the 2019 Best Community Project Award for her involvement in Learning Together! An Innovative Tutoring Program for Children of Garment and Domestic Workers. The award was presented by the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Learning Together was a one-year program comprised of 40 students (ages 5–18) whose parents are members of Building Skills Partnership, the Garment Worker Center, IDEPSCA (Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur De California), and the Koreatown Youth and Community Center. Learning Together students received one-on-one tutoring, participated in a field trip to UCLA, and visited three libraries in the Pico-Union neighborhood. UCLA undergraduate and graduate students with backgrounds similar to those of the student participants were recruited to provide the tutoring services and received scholarships from the UCLA Center for Mexican Studies, the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, and the Parent Alliance.

Learning Together was developed in 2017 by the Labor Center’s Parent Worker Project (PWP), led by Janna Shadduck-Hernández, EdD, and designed to empower low-wage parent workers in Los Angeles to advocate for their children’s education. The PWP has served as a bridge to bring together workers, community organizations, schools, and policy stakeholders to promote the academic success of all students.

Because of her background in early childhood development and social welfare, Granillo Arce was able to play a pivotal role in Learning Together’s success. Marisol developed and presented program curricula, coordinated tutoring sessions and field trips, and worked closely with the parents. In the coming months, she plans to continue working with Shadduck-Hernández to evaluate their recent work, document their observations, and share lessons with local and national networks dedicated to early childhood education.

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UCLA Newsroom- Janitors learn to dream big at UCLA and advocate for their children in school
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