MEPC Welcomes New Hunger Fellow, Amarillys Rodriguez
September 11th, 2012
MEPC would like to welcome the newest member of our team, Amarillys Rodriguez! Amarillys Rodriguez will serve for six months as a 2012-2013 Emerson National Hunger Fellow with MEPC.
The Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program is a social justice based program that trains leaders in the movement to end hunger, poverty and social inequality in the United States through community level field work and policy work experience.
The fellowship is a program of the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that works to fight domestic and international hunger and poverty through policy, advocacy, coalition-building and leadership development.
Born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Amarillys received a BA in Public Policy Analysis with a concentration in Politics from Pomona College in Claremont, California. While in school she worked with non-profits in Claremont and the Dominican Republic researching funding opportunities for a green jobs program, resources for homeowners on weatherization programs and other housing assistance, and organizing an online toolkit to assist Caribbean nations working toward their Millennium Development Goals.
After graduation, she served one year with the AmeriCorps program Public Allies Connecticut working in Hartford with the state’s largest community action agency. As an Ally she coordinated the city’s 2012 Point in Time Census of the homeless and led a coalition that engages youth on health issues through social media and events.
During her time with the MEPC, Amarillys will research existing TANF policies and the barriers TANF clients face as they pursue education and training. She will be focusing on reducing such barriers, so that TANF clients successfully reach educational goals that will help them attain economic self-sufficiency. She will also support MEPC efforts to explore consumer protections around bank fees.
Amarillys has enjoyed her welcome to Jackson, and she looks forward to experiencing more of what Jackson and Mississippi have to offer. The MEPC team is excited she will be contributing to the Center’s work in the months ahead
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