People
Board of Directors
Angelo Cabrera: MPA Student, founder and President of MASA
At the young age of 15 Mr. Cabrera immigrated to the United States. Since his arrival he has been committed to self-improvement and being involved in his community. For more than 10 ten years, he has volunteered for several Non-Profit organizations. In 1997, he helped to form the first CUNY outreach for the Mexican community at the Mexican Consulate. On the winter of 2001, he founded MASA (Mexican American Students’ Alliance) to lead a mayor activist campaign to provide the right for undocumented students to go to CUNY and SUNY College and qualify for the in-state-tuition benefit. During the strike he was one of three hunger strikers that united to support the in-state-tuition. As a result of the strike in-state-tuition become a state law not just CUNY policy. In 2000, Mr. Cabrera obtained his Associate Degree in Computer Programming; in 2006 he obtained his Bachelor in Political Science from Baruch College. Currently he is in pursuit of his Masters Degree in Public Administration at the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. He has also served for several committees in the Mexican community as a director of higher education and has shared panel discussions with scholars and local and Mexican high ranking politicians. Currently, he is a columnist for “El Diario de Mexico USA”. Mr. Cabrera is not only an educator and activist of education he is an inspirational example of the drive and success that exist within immigrant community of New York City.
Board of Director: Tresuarer
She was born and raised in the South Bronx. As a teenager, she was a member of the 41st precinct explorer program for 4 yrs and held the title of Captain for a year and a half. She graduated at the top 10th place from 700 students from DeWitt Clinton H.S. in 2000. In 1999, she was awarded the Posse Scholarship which is a four year full tuition merit and leadership based scholarship awarded on a yearly basis to a group of inner city kids attending public high schools. In 2000, she went to Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2003, she did a semester abroad in Paris, France where she attended the L’Université de Paris I – La Sorbonne. In 2004, she received her Bachelors in Science with a double major in Economics and French. In August 2004, Ms. Lucero began her career working for Lehman Brothers Inc. as an Operations Analyst and by 2008 she was a Senior Analyst and Manager. Currently, she works for Barclays Capital.
Our Volunteers
Liliana Diaz Hidalgo, MPA: Founding Member
Liliana was born in Santa Cruz, Guerrero, México. She was raised in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx. Upon graduating from the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics High School in East Harlem, she attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York as a Gates Millennium Scholar. There she majored in Sociology and concentrated in Law and Society, Business and Organization as well as in Inequality. During the summer of 2004, she participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute in Berkeley, California. In May 2005, Liliana received the Cornell University Leadership and Public Service Award, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors. In 2008, she graduated with a Master Degree from New York University. On August 2003, she founded The Association for the Advancement of Mexican People (AAMP). She currently works for Union Settlement.
Elizabeth Del Rosario-Baker: Fundraising Coordinator
Mrs. Del Rosario-Baker was born in Dominican Republic and immigrated to NYC in 1989 arriving to Spanish Harlem & later moving to the South Bronx. She attended public schools until11995 when she won an academic scholarship to a private High School through Student Sponsorship Program (SSP), a program that provides inner city kids the opportunity to attend private school. In later years Mrs. Del Rosario-Baker was fortunate enough to become a mentor and sponsor for SSP. Upon graduating from High School she received a full academic scholarship to Middlebury College and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish & Economics. From 2003-2009 Mrs. Del Rosario-Baker was employed in the Private Sector in Finance & Fashion, and also did consulting work in Non-Profit for United Way & the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is currently an entrepreneur and is co-owner of Infinite Productions LLC, an art services company. Mrs. Del Rosario-Baker has been involved and committed to community service from volunteering in Guatemala as a physical therapist to homeless outreach in the South Bronx area. She starting volunteering with MASA as an ESL teacher in 2005 and has continued on in the role of Fundraising Coordinator.
ESL teacher: Steve Alvarez: PhD Student
Steven Alvarez is a Ph.D. candidate at the English Literature Program at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He teaches English at Queens College, and is currently writing his dissertation as an ethnography of the intergenerational bilingual literacy practices of the parents and children of Mexican descendant. He was born in Safford Arizona, a son of Mexican immigrants and the first in the family to attend college. He obtained a Double Bachelors Degree from the University of Arizona. Mr. Alvarez has being a recipient of several scholarship and awards of English literature. In the summer of 2008, he won a national competition of poetry organized by the Time Square Alliance and the Poetry Society of America. His writings have appeared on several publications such as the Ketchikan Arts Council from Alaska, Fusion Literary Magazine from Indiana University, Defining the Southwest Web Exhibits from the University of Arizona, and the Time Square Alliance with his most recent poem that addresses his Chicano culture and identity.
John Byington: Media Outreach and Public Relationships Coordinator
Mr. Byington graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, with an emphasis in public relations. Before graduating, Mr. Byington spent the summer of 2005 studying the state of the news media in the Chilean capital of Santiago. Mr. Byington continues to stay involved with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) by volunteering with a Manhattan Scout Troop. He has also coordinated public relations for a BSA Council in California and is a public relations resource for the Greater New York Councils of BSA. Currently, he works for Fleishman-Hillard’s New York Healthcare group as an assitant account executive. Mr. Byington has spearheaded several community-based educational campaigns to break down the stigma of youth suicide and educate people about available resources, garnering national attention on the subject.
Gregory Tull: Youth Leadership Coordinator
Margarita Verastigui: Art Teacher and Art Program Coordinator
MASA Mentors
Edith Chow
Edith was born in Mexico City, she is of Chinese Mexican descent. She immigrated to New York at the age of 15 to attend a high school. She graduated from Bayside High School on 2007. She is currently attending to Queens College and is a former student of Steve Alvarez MASA’s board of Director and expected to graduate with a Bachelors Degree on 2011. She has volunteered for MASA since the summer of 2007. In 2006, she joined the AIDS walk NY, March of Dimes and the Breast Cancer walk. In 2007, she joined NYPIRG providing tutoring in math. From 2006 to 2007, she managed the Bayside High school Swiming team; at the same time, she became a member of the Arista National Honor Society. From 2005 to 2007, she was a member of the Key Club International.
Valeria Wu
Valeria was born in Mexico City, she is of Chinese Mexican descent. She immigrated to New York at the age of 15 to attend a high school. She graduated from Flushing high school in 2008 with honors. She was one of the few students to win a scholarship from CUNY College Now to attend a City College. Currently, she attends City College and is expected to graduate on 2012. She became a volunteer at MASA on the summer of 2007 and is very proud to help her Mexican community.
