PROFILES

Published Monday, May 31, 2004
Volunteering Post-Harvard
Doctoral student speaks of investing Ivy League education in others
By Joanna Durham

Students entering HGSE read Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." Robin Waterman has taken that several steps further.

Waterman, a doctoral student in Communities and Schools, has spent most of her time dedicated to working to empower others, first in Mexico, then El Salvador, and finally Denver, Colorado.

"Ever since I graduated from college, I've pretty much been a full-time volunteer," she said in a recent afternoon conversation.

She explains that after her time at HGSE working on her Masters she wanted to go abroad. “It was the right time.” Waterman first went to Mexico volunteering for a community development program. She found her program in a book on volunteering, read about the programs, identified those that seemed to “fit” her philosophy, and applied. She added, “I spent the first year [in Mexico] learning Spanish and really getting to know the community.” The program provided a small living stipend, which allowed her to live like the local community.

Her experience in Mexico was very rewarding, but Waterman knew her interest was in adult literacy. She applied for another program, this time focused on adult literacy in El Salvador. She moved to a remote village with no running water yet added, “The sacrifices felt like it was so worth it.”

Waterman spent her time in El Salvador developing an adult literacy program for rural women based on Paulo Freire’s theories. She discussed her respect and admiration for the women in the village who had little or no education, “This [was] the most meaningful thing I could be doing.”

The program did not provide the living stipend as the previous program did. Waterman raised funds through letters to family and friends and through partnerships with Denver-area churches. “The community provided a place to live and brought me food everyday.... I never felt like a martyr. My needs were met.” She even managed to make monthly payments on her student loans.

At first she was hesitant about working with the churches feeling obligated to visit and give talks, but felt that partnership actually created an important opportunity. “I really was able to see the good in people...People wanted to help others less fortunate, but really didn’t know how. This gave them a bridge to do that.”

During this time, Waterman was corresponding with an HGSE professor, Victoria Purcell-Gates, who asked for her contribution to a book she was working on. She was provided with a battery-operated computer and began keeping records on her program and experiences. “This [partnership] brought an intellectual dimension; so now I had the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.”

Her program continues today under the direction of several village women whom she trained.

Before returning to the U.S., Waterman worked with the Peace Corps in Guatemala preparing volunteers for work in El Salvador. This allowed her to save money for her return to Denver.

She laughs saying that when she returned to Denver to apply for work, it was “the first time I had to write a real resume.” She worked in the Denver school system as an advocate for Mexican immigrant families before working in adult literacy again.

Waterman plans to return to Denver next year to continue her work with immigrant families and conduct research for her dissertation. While she was initially conflicted about taking a break from her work to continue her education, she knew the families and women she worked with in El Salvador supported her decision.

They wanted her to take their voice where they would not have the opportunity to go. “I’m committing to all those people to be their voice.”

For more information on the program in El Salvador, check out the book Waterman co-wrote with Victoria Purcell-Gates, Now We Read, We See, We Speak: Portrait of Literacy Development in an Adult Freirean-Based Class.

Joanna Durham is an Ed.M. candidate in International Education Policy.