Maria Paula Suso-Alarcon is a policy and communications intern at Strategies for Children, and she says the best part of her internship is getting to see the work of so many of the people who are building a stronger early childhood system in Massachusetts.
Suso-Alarcon grew up in Cali, Colombia, and graduated from the Universidad Javeriana with a degree in law. She came to the United States two years ago, and she is a student at Bunker Hill Community College pursuing an associate degree in paralegal studies.
Her favorite part of her internship?
“I really love The 9:30 Call because even though it’s just 30 minutes, I’ve gotten to hear from people who are truly amazing,” Suso-Alarcon says. “Just by listening to them, you can hear how amazing they are, how they truly care about children and their well-being and about the well-being of parents.
“The 9:30 Call is also a great community that is there to help every single day.”
One of Suso-Alarcon’s favorite 9:30 Calls featured Dr. Angela Fowler, the associate Medical director for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, who spoke about the rise of pertussis (also known as whooping cough) in the state, and about the role of pertussis vaccines.
“The presentation was so intentional: instead of creating panic, it shared information and helped people understand what they can do.”
Suso-Alarcon has not worked on children’s issues before, so the experience of advocacy and working with government officials on behalf of children is new. One of her internship projects is tracking candidates for state office. She’s also working on a bilingual flier that will explain in Spanish and English how people can communicate their concerns to their elected officials.
“Most of us who come from outside the United States don’t know a lot about that,” she says. “People have no idea that there are resources that can help and that there are resources for licensed child care professionals.
“And communicating in Spanish helps ensure that someone who is an immigrant can have the same access that an English-speaking person has. It also helps people who are older and not so savvy about websites.”
Sharing information in Spanish, Suso-Alarcon adds, also helps strengthen the community of Spanish-speaking early childhood professionals.
Looking ahead, Suso-Alarcon plans to practice law in the United States. She’s thinking about working at the intersection of law and health care.
One powerful lesson that Suso-Alarcon says that she will take with her?
“It’s the importance of having educated and empathetic people working on important causes. Everything I’ve heard and learned has come from people who are well prepared and very educated. And most importantly, they’re using their intelligence and their education to create a better future, from the beginning, for children.”