Adela George, Project Coordinator at New Heights Neighborhood Center

Adela is originally from the Dominican Republic. She came to the United States at the age of fifteen. In June 2005 she received her BA in Italian Language and Civilitazion with a minor in Spanish Literature from Hunter College. She is currently working as a Career and Education Manager at New Heights Neighborhood Center, a community based organization that provides educational and workforce development opportunities for disconnected youth in the Washington Heights/Inwood area. She facilitates career development workshops which prepares the young adults with work-based experience and training. In addition, she is the program coordinator for Global Potential. Adela has actively worked in doing community service and advocacy on issues that affect her community. As an undergraduate student at Hunter College, she was the president of The Dominican Perspective Club for three consecutive years. As the leader of this student institution, Adela coordinated three community service trips to the Dominican Republic. In the last two, she visited Casa Rosada; an institution that shelter orphan children that are HIV positive. There, she donated medicines, clothes, toys and food. Adela also collaborated with both MOSTCHA a non- profit organization that works with Dominican –Haitian community in the Bateyes, and with Hogares Crea, a Drug Rehabilitation Center, in the Dominican Repulic that helps drug addicts to re-integrate to society. In order to increase AIDS awareness in The Dominican Republic population, Adela facilicated AIDS awareness workshop, distributed condoms and literature in various schools and others institutions that work with young people. Presently, Adela is the Vice-president of Fundacion Alba & Ocaso a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide education, health, and nutrition service to children in the Dominican Republic. This organization is currently sponsoring fifteen children in San Miguel, an inner city neighborhood in La Vega, DR.