Adolescent pregnancy decreases a woman’s educational attainment and work force participation, in turn, negatively effecting her bargaining power in the family. Cerro Navia experiences an adolescent pregnancy rate of about 20%, ten times greater than that of the U.S. I hope to better understand the context of sex education and skill building programs in the community in order to implement a community-based model and delay adolescent pregnancy.
I will participate in three of Cerro Navia Joven Foundation’s programs that work with the local youth. I will also work as a Teaching Assistant in Isabel Donoso’s Poverty and Development course at Alberto Hurtado University. In my free time, I will play and coach basketball at Don Enrique Alvear high school, a partner school to the Foundation. This athletic program will allow me to learn more about soccer, an important sport in Chilean culture.
I will attend the Keough School of Global affairs at the University of Notre Dame to receive a Master’s in Global Affairs. Continuing my studies of international development and public policy will give me the background necessary to study in the doctoral program, Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University. I hope to master the skills necessary to manage an NGO focused on adolescent development.