Stronger Together
Students participating in the LLI form tight-knit cohorts that support their success within and beyond the classroom.
Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI)
The mission of the Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI) is to develop social work leaders equipped to work with the Latinx community on sustainable solutions for complex problems.
Some 130 MSW students and two doctoral students have graduated from the program since 2013. Our LLI social work practitioners work with Latinx communities across the United States and abroad in a variety of settings: schools, clinics, hospitals, and prisons, providing an array of services, including behavioral health, individual and family services, case management, advocacy and support, and more.
The LLI works by:
- Recruiting Latinx students
- Teaching classes in Spanish
- Advancing a cohort-based educational model through the Latinx Communities field of practice—where students navigate graduate education together—supported by mentors and each other
- Designing an evidenced-based curriculum of what works when communities lead their own processes of transformation
- Conducting cutting-edge research that is advancing the field on best-practices for social work with diverse Latinx communities.
LEADING THE TRANSFORMATION
The LLI trains future social workers and cultivates distinct communities. LLI alumni are “leading the transformation of how social work with Latinx Communities is being done in the United States.”
MEET THE TEAM
Rocío Calvo
Founding Director
Founding Director of the LLI, Rocío Calvo strives to prepare students to work effectively in underserved communities. An Associate Professor of Global Practice and Health & Mental Health, she believes social workers need to be more nuanced in how they understand different cultural experiences in the U.S.
Ximena Soto
Assistant Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
As Assistant Director of the LLI, Ximena Soto creates opportunities for MSW students to apply what they learn in the classroom. She fosters relationships with Latinx service providers across Greater Boston and connects students to placements.
