The mission of the Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI) is to prepare bilingual and bicultural social workers to work with Latinx communities to create sustainable solutions to complex problems. The LLI follows a cohort-based model that enables students to navigate social work together, supporting one another in and out of the classroom.
LLI Team:
Rocío Calvo
Founding Director
Ximena Soto
Assistant Director
Over 230 MSW students and three 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 settings such as schools, hospitals, health centers, shelters, prisons, and community-based organizations, providing an array of services including behavioral health, individual and family care, case management, advocacy and support, and more.
The LLI works by:
Model Program for Diversity Education
The LLI was highlighted as a model program that addresses the unique social, historical, and cultural characteristics of Latinx communities by the Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice, a center of the Council on Social Work Education.
Examples of Excelencia Winner
Excelencia in Education, an organization that recognizes evidence-based programs that help accelerate Latinx student success, named the LLI as a 2020 Example of Excelencia in the Graduate category
10+
Years of the LLI
Celebrating a decade's worth of Latinx Leadership grads since 2013
265
LLI alumni
Working with Latinx communities around the globe
8
Core courses taught in Spanish
Navigating social work as a cohort
14%
Of current MSW students who identify as Latinx
Students have a culturally and linguistically congruent curriculum
“By teaching in Spanish, we open the door to changing the learning space in which students interact. For students, many for the first time, this change enables them to bring their authentic selves into academic spaces that have historically denied the full expression of their lived experiences.”
LLI alumni are part of a network of nearly 265 social workers in 26 states and four countries, many of whom support current students as internship supervisors and mentors. Using the skills and strategies they’ve honed in their evidence-based courses to respond to the unique needs of their clients other graduates work with Latinx families in:
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.
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.
"I chose to study at BCSSW because of the Latinx Leadership Initiative, which has given me a community, the space to reconnect to my identity as a Latina, and knowledge to support Latinx communities as a social worker. I've had the opportunity to speak my native language in a higher education program (thanks to the LLI), which profoundly impacts me as a person, student, and professional working with Latinx individuals."
"The BCSSW has challenged me to confront inequity and challenge current systems with an innovative, inclusive, and trauma-informed lens. The development of these skills has created a shift in mindset, empowering my current and future work to have a greater impact on the advancement of marginalized communities, especially my Latinx community."
"The Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI) cohort is a space where a community comprises people who have lived similar experiences and want and are working to achieve in our communities. Also, being part of this cohort, I feel that I am recognized and validated as a person. My experiences are listened to and validated. I think that my Latino professors have done a great job promoting and advocating for recognizing Latino work in research, leadership, and academia. I am super proud to be part of this program at Boston College and belong to the Latino Leadership Initiative. LLI has become the pillar of my future and has given me the voice that I needed to advocate for my community."
The LLI prepares bilingual and bicultural social workers to work effectively with Latinx communities across the country. Students in the program are empowered to find innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the communities they serve.
We are an application-based training program that prepares Social Work MSW students to work with Latinx communities towards sustainable solutions for complex problems.
As a masters student, you will earn an MSW degree from the BCSSW with the added bonus of being part of a cohort. The Latinx Communities field of practice cohort requires you to take MSW foundation courses in Spanish, be placed in Field Education internships with selected organizations who have expertise working with Latinx communities, and participate in field seminars designed specifically for bilingual/bicultural social workers.As a masters student, you will earn an MSW degree from the BCSSW with the added bonus of being part of a cohort. The Latinx Communities field of practice cohort requires you to take MSW foundation courses in Spanish, be placed in Field Education internships with selected organizations who have expertise working with Latinx communities, and participate in field seminars designed specifically for bilingual/bicultural social workers.
Students in the Latinx Communities field of practice take a specific set of courses and make a commitment to having two field placements that serve the Latinx communities.
Required courses are:
One optional advanced clinical course is offered in Spanish:
The following courses are required to obtain the Latinx Leadership Certificate:
No. The field of practice welcomes applicants of all backgrounds that are proficient in oral Spanish. Every applicant needs to be committed to serving Latinx communities and needs to be comfortable becoming part of a cohort comprised mostly by Latinx students.
Students need to be proficient in oral, conversational Spanish. You don’t need to know academic Spanish. Readings and assignments are done in English.
No. Classes are taught in Spanish.
No. The Latinx Communities field of practice is an academic training program that requires specific classes and field education requirements to train social workers who want to work with Latinx populations.
The meetings take place one Monday evening per month from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Field Education is a required component of the field of practice. We are intentional about the recruitment of partner agencies that train our students and we carefully match students with supervisors. Our partners that work in a variety of settings—legal, medical, behavioral health, immigration, and schools—that serve the Latinx community in myriad ways. We train all supervisors in best practices in supervision, which includes an awareness of specific issues that may impact student education and professional development.
If you are interested in being considered for a spot in the incoming cohort of 20 students, please contact Ximena Soto (ximena.soto@bc.edu). The first step is to schedule a Spanish language fluency screening. Following the fluency screening, the selected students will then have an interview with the LLI team.
For more information please contact:
Ximena Soto, Assistant Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
Rocío Calvo, Associate Professor, Global Practice, Health, and Mental Health; Founding Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative
The demand for social workers trained to respond to the needs and aspirations identified by Latinx communities, from culturally and linguistically appropriate social services to accessible mental health and healthcare, is urgent. Through award-winning academic programs and research, the BCSSW has established a community-centered approach to meet these aspirations and needs.
