Prof. Jorge Elorza: Making an impact in Rhode Island
Barely into his 30s, Jorge Elorza already has a résumé that reads like the script for a major motion picture. Raised by Guatemalan-immigrant parents in inner-city Providence, Professor Elorza graduated from Classical High School, then spent an “unfocused” year at community college before finding his footing – and he hasn’t stopped climbing since. After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island, he snagged a lucrative job as an auditor for Pricewaterhouse-Coopers in New York City, then left it to earn a J.D. at Harvard Law School.
Professor Elorza could have chosen any number of career paths, but instead returned to his old neighborhood, determined to serve the community as an attorney with Rhode Island Legal Services, and in 2005 joined the faculty at RWU Law. Now, supported by a 2008-09 Presidential Faculty Fellowship, Professor Elorza has begun developing a Rhode Island Latino Policy Institute.
“The institute will pull together resources from universities, business firms and community-based organizations throughout the state to provide data-driven analysis of issues relating to Latinos in Rhode Island,” he explains. “As the Latino population grows within the state, we hope to provide timely and reliable information upon which key policymakers may base their decisions.”
Professor Elorza adds that he has always felt a keen sense of responsibility to the community in Providence and the entire state.
“I want to contribute to the many advocates, business people and community members who are all working in different ways to improve our economy and make our communities more stable,” he says. “That’s where I get my passion.”
Click here for tv coverage of one of the Institute’s first initiatives, which at the end includes commentary from Professor Elorza.
