New York

New York

LIFT-The Bronx
2381 Belmont Avenue
Bronx, NY 10458
Phone: (718) 733-3897
Fax: (718) 563-7304

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Kristina Lepore

Age: 22
Location: New York
Affiliation: Fordham University
Kristina Lepore

As a Spanish Language and Literature major at Fordham University, Kristina Lepore had taken numerous Spanish courses, but the one that brought her to the LIFT-The Bronx office is the one she will remember most.

In her junior year, Kristina enrolled in “Spanish and New York City,” a course founded by Fordham professors Dr. Viviane Mahieux and Dr. Carey Kasten, which requires students to apply their Spanish language skills within the context of Latino culture in New York City through a service-learning component.

Of the four service options offered, Kristina was most attracted to LIFT because the office was driven completely by college student volunteers.  Located in the heart of the Bronx community, LIFT’s site actively sought Spanish-speaking volunteers like Kristina to serve the predominantly Latino population in its surroung neighborhood who were in need of services. She was eager to join the team, but hesitant that she was not prepared to serve clients. “I was scared that I would not be able to communicate well with them in Spanish, since I was supposed to be practicing my speaking with clients as part of my class.  I was more nervous that my clients would not believe that I could help them and would see our work as useless.”

But after volunteering several times a week with LIFT-The Bronx, Kristina’s attitude changed.  As her Spanish skills were put to the test with each client meeting, she felt her confidence grow.  Not only did her speaking skills improve, but her ability to provide resources for her clients did as well.  She says, “I noticed that every step my clients and I took towards their larger goal was considered an accomplishment for them, and this excited me.  No matter how small of a step we took, in my clients felt proud of what they were getting accomplished.”  Kristina also noticed that her awareness of what was going on in her university’s neighborhood expanded because of her work with LIFT.

She enjoyed her experience so much that after the conclusion of the class, she joined the office’s Leadership Team as a manager and was responsible for recruiting many of the subsequent service learning class volunteers. Lepore says, “After studying the Spanish language for over eight years, I was finally ready and eager to put my knowledge to work.  Volunteering at LIFT has allowed me to do just that. Not only am I practicing my Spanish with clients, but Spanish-speaking clients are also practicing their English with me.  By pairing together Fordham University and LIFT, both students and members of the Bronx community benefit.”