Speaking up

Joselin Rodriguez Santiago, class of 2022, knows firsthand how language can prevent or open access to health care. In high school, the native Spanish speaker moved to Wisconsin from Puerto Rico. Not only did she work hard to advance her English, but a family member also counted on her for interpretation services at doctor appointments.

“I realized that the only people who could understand us and help us were interpreters. They were going the extra mile for us,” she recalls.

So when Rodriguez Santiago enrolled at Alverno, she supplemented her biology major with a minor in Spanish/English health care interpretation. She enjoys exploring the ethics of the profession as well as serving as an interpreter at parent-teacher conferences for a local elementary school.

“Having this minor helps me communicate not just with the scientific community but also with people from my background. It helps me keep my roots,” she explains.

Not so for Nichole Gladney ’00, director of community outreach and engagement for Ascension Wisconsin. Gladney and her team tapped established partnerships and an already strong foundation to deliver information ― and later, vaccines ― to communities around the state.

“We knew we needed to get messaging out about the coronavirus, especially to vulnerable communities that may not be digitally connected. So we went to the frameworks we had previously developed,” she explains. “We worked with our urban media partners and hosted virtual town halls with faith leaders. We have been communicating in this space for several years as a trusted voice.”