Tierney M Learning Center Case Study

Perla Castaneda, or Miss.Perla as the kids call her, is a youth manager within the Tierney M. Learning Center located in the beacon communities of South Boston. She works in the academic center which is predominantly focused on helping students with homework, being a broker for resources and offering mentorship to students. The mission of the Tierney M. Learning Center closely resembles that of the boys and girls club of Boston which is to give opportunities to those who need it most. Perla strongly believes in this mission and possibly takes it a step further. She wants to help those who want it and don’t want it. She wants to empower those who don’t even know how to ask for help. She has created strong ties to the community. As every kid walks through the door, Perla will greet them by their name and will ask them about themselves. She knows their sibling, their parents, and their interests. Perla knows her students because she has been working with the learning since it opened about three years ago. She first started off in the art room, which she got started when the center first opened. This entailed, getting funded, teaching, and mentoring. When offered another position within the learning center she leaped at it, because it allowed her to continue to work in a community and with an

From a young age she knew that she wanted do art and be surrounded by art. However, if she could go back, she might have explored a minor to complement her community work. While she loves her job, Perla hopes to open her own non-profit art center. As a kid, she felt that she had very limited choices when it came to extra curricular activates. As a first generation American she found it hard to find after school programs and activities. For this reason, she wants to give kids in South Boston and Dorchester for example, access to programs that could positively impact their