Passing on perseverance to inner city Latino students

Associate Professor and Director–Designate
School of Social Work
UNO



As the youngest of 11 children of Mexican immigrants, Dr. Theresa Barron-McKeagney feels a personal empathy for at-risk, minority students. As coordinator of the Aguante Project, she provides family-based, community-centered mentoring to inner city Latino grade school students. The federal project also provides support services and programs for parents. Appropriately, “Aguante” is Spanish for “perseverance.”

“When a matador is facing a bull, he has to be persistent and stand firm,” Barron-McKeagney said. “I want to show these children how to stand fearless in the face of danger. You have to prepare them to take whatever comes their way.”

Read more about Dr. Barron-McKeagney's work.