On Monday, August 21, Hale Education will award the Carmen M. Torres Scholarship for Emerging Latine Leaders to Melissa Alvarez (of CityLab Innovation High School), Christine Brito, and Nancy Uribe (both of East Somerville Community School).

The award will support these leaders’ participation in the 2023–2024 cohort of the Perrone-Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership at Hale Education (PSi), a certificate program that expands educators’ skills, capacity, and confidence to lead innovative, equitable, democratic schools and organizations.

The scholarship continues the legacy of the late Ms. Torres, who co-founded PSi with Linda Nathan. Torres mentored countless administrators, teachers, and other education professionals in Boston Public Schools and beyond.

Alvarez’s work in various school settings has made her keenly aware of the value of trauma-informed care. She looks forward to helping families be heard and ensuring that children feel safe and are in environments where they can thrive.

“The scholarship will allow me to continue my education by following in Carmen’s footsteps,” said Alvarez, who looks forward to “fostering a sense of belonging in leadership and acknowledging Afro-Latinas in education who make a difference.”

Brito directly thanked donors for their faith in her: “Your valued contribution encouraged me to invest time, build skills, and acquire training to help students, teachers, and educational leaders at both local and district levels.”

“I am immensely grateful for this scholarship,” added Uribe. “I am proud of my cultural background as a Latina, and this scholarship represents an opportunity to advance my education in leadership. As a future administrator, I plan to advocate for multilingual learners’ equity and support their families in navigating school culture.”

Hale’s staff and the program’s faculty, participants, alums, and co-founders’ family members will celebrate the recipients at Hale’s Simches Family Center.

“We’re thrilled to support educators who are so committed to helping students make the most of their learning experiences,” said Hale’s executive director, Eric Arnold. “From Melissa’s commitment to improving equality of therapeutic interventions for BIPOC students, to Christine’s work with under-resourced and immigrant families, to Nancy’s experience developing bilingual curricula in Colombia and the US, these recipients are well positioned to reimagine learning through PSi.”

Melissa Alvarez is an adjustment counselor in Revere Public Schools, a Revere District PSi Fellow, and a Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education (MPDE) PSi Fellow. Her areas of concentration have included inpatient, outpatient, and school settings throughout Greater Boston. Alvarez seeks to remove the stigma specific to mental health challenges that routinely impact students navigating special education and urban school settings. She earned her B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Boston University Metropolitan College/School of Medicine and her M.Ed. in Mental Health and Counseling from Cambridge College.

Christine Brito is a curriculum and instruction specialist in Somerville Public Schools and an MPDE PSi Fellow. She has worked in education for over two decades, and most of her advocacy work has been for multilingual and special education learners. Brito is pursuing administrator’s licensure to better advocate for all learners, staff members, and families.

Nancy Uribe is a 3rd-grade teacher in the Unidos Program in Somerville Public Schools and an MPDE PSi Fellow. She is from Colombia and has over a decade of experience teaching bilingual education and advocating for equity for multilingual learners. Uribe focuses on issues related to bilingual education, equality, social justice, and building relationships with families and the community to ensure student success.

An education pioneer who spent much of her career in Boston Public Schools, Carmen M. Torres was a mentor to many and a tireless advocate of support services for English Language Learners. She launched the Health Careers Pathway at Brighton High School and Pharmacy Program at Fenway High School, co-headmastered the Boston Arts Academy, and directed student and family services at Conservatory Lab Charter School. The Carmen M. Torres Scholarship for Emerging Latine Leaders continues her legacy. Those who wish to contribute to the fund are invited to do so at https://hale1918.org/remembering-carmen.

Hale Education, Inc. is a private nonprofit widely recognized for its flagship camps, youth programs, family and community activities, school partnerships, and professional development opportunities. It serves several thousand children and families from 70 Greater Boston communities annually and invites visitors to enjoy its 1,200 acres of forests, ponds, and meadows in Westwood and Dover, Massachusetts. Hale’s programs and land management practices are the legacy of its founder, Robert Sever Hale, who encouraged people to use his property in ways that were “charitable and benevolent in nature…to provide education which will develop intelligent, capable, and responsible citizens.”