Grace Outreach is thrilled and honored to welcome Maria Aponte—award-winning poet, author, and women’s rights and community arts activist—to the classroom next Tuesday, April 4th.
Maria was named by the Bronx Times in June 2016 as one of 25 Bronx Influential Women. She has also been featured on Bronx Net, News 12, NBC Latino, and WABC-TV and, in 2013, she was a recipient of the International Latino Book Award for her first book, Transitions of A Nuyorican Cinderella. In April 2016, she published her second book, The Gift of Loss, a memoir about dealing with the loss of her parents as a young teenager and adult and the healing process from that loss.
Additionally, Maria is the founder and President of Latino 50 PlusTM , a nonprofit program honoring Latina Pioneers. She received her Masters in Latin America and Latino Studies from Fordham University and currently serves as the Diversity Initiatives Coordinator and Career Services Counselor at Fordham University.
Next Tuesday, Maria will be joining Grace Outreach to speak to our students about the nonlinearity of her own career path, her experiences as a civil and women’s rights advocate and performance artist in Latino Theatre, and her service as a Bronx community leader. Two of our students, Aileen and Eliana—currently enrolled in our College Bridge Program—will be leading the conversation and asking Maria questions about her life and work on behalf of students and staff.
A sincere thank you to Maria for your generosity, service of, and care for the Bronx. We’re excited to meet you next Tuesday!