This summer, RHHD welcomed Carolina Lugo as our new School Health Coordinator! The long-time Richmond area resident and mom of two took some time out of her busy first few weeks to talk with us about the importance of health in school, the value of bilingual education and language access, and her top tips for a healthy start to the 2024-2025 school year.<\/p>\n
Carolina, why does a health department need a school health coordinator?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s where the people are, that\u2019s where the children are. The vast majority are in school, public school in particular, and the health department has to go where the people are. It makes sense to be in those spaces and to work with the schools. And that\u2019s another important piece\u2014it’s important to have a school health coordinator because it puts the emphasis on the fact that it is collaborating with the schools to provide the education, the clinical services, the support. It\u2019s making it clear that we\u2019re working with the schools. There is direct contact, but the goal is to do as much of that as possible with the schools.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve worked in and out of schools over your career. What makes education so important to you?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I loved being in school as a child and I still consider myself both a student and teacher at heart. I have so much respect for what teachers do. I think schools can be joyful places and I think learning can be one of the most fun things. I\u2019ve always tried to keep one foot or finger in education at all times. And most recently, I was coordinating Youth programs at Sacred Heart Center\u2014I spent a lot of time talking with teachers about how to serve Latino youth in particular.<\/p>\n You are really invested in making sure that every student has access to a supportive and healthy school experience. Why is that goal important in our communities?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Kids spend most of their waking hours and formative years in school – it\u2019s crucial for both the short- and long-term health and well-being of children for schools to be supportive and healthy environments! For our most vulnerable students, school might be the one safe port in the storm, and we want that for these children. And all students deserve for school to be a safe, affirming, joyful, and healthy place. The best teachers and administrators view school as a home away from home, and we see so many of our schools working in partnership with families and community-based organizations and agencies like RHHD to provide that supportive and healthy home away from home for children.<\/p>\n How do you think about yourself and your work as part of that partnership?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Community outreach is one of my core values. To support children in our communities, you have to know intimately what the community needs. And that has to come from being in deep relationship with community members, seeing the disconnects, barriers, and resources with your own eyes. When you\u2019re able to develop relationships with people, they are more honest. You want to get to that place where the community feels 100% comfortable telling you where you\u2019re missing the mark. I also connect it to my identity as a Latina and being bilingual\u2014being able to talk about these things in the native language with the other person creates a stronger bond and it equalizes the power dynamic. It\u2019s not someone coming in as a benefactor. We\u2019re equals, and we\u2019ll be partners in this work.<\/p>\n Lightning round questions, back-to-school style!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Favorite subject in school?<\/strong>\u00a0Language Arts. I love reading and writing.<\/p>\n Favorite book from childhood?\u00a0<\/strong>This is almost like trying to pick a favorite child! I remember reading The Outsiders and what a sociological book that was. In society, you do see that separation based on group characteristics and values\u2014the book shows you how deadly and terrible that can be, but it also shows you some bright spots. In high school, I also had an English teacher who did such an amazing job teaching us Shakespeare\u2014everything was hands on. We were doing the plays in class, we were dressing up as our favorite characters. She made Shakespeare come alive. It was not a pristine, very academic Shakespeare. Any modern retelling of a Shakespeare play, we would watch or go see.<\/p>\n