NYU social work professor among 61 scholars honored by partnership between the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, a professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work and the co-director of the Center for Latino and Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH), was among 61 scholars honored at the graduation of the second class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, a partnership between the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The graduation was held July 14 at Central High School in Little Rock—the site of the Little Rock Nine, 1957. Three of the Little Rock Nine spoke at special session on the desegregation of the school. In addition, Presidents George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, President Bill Clinton, and Prime Minister Tony Blair were among the event’s attendees, as were former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman.
Since February, the Presidential Leadership Scholars have traveled once a month to a participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key administration officials, and leading academics. They studied and put into practice varying approaches to leadership, developed a network of peers, and exchanged ideas with mentors and others. They also developed a personal leadership project, intended to make a significant difference in their communities, across the country, or around the globe.
The 61 scholars are individuals from a variety of backgrounds, geographies, and sectors, including private, public, non-profit, military, and academia, who were selected because of their desire and capacity to strengthen their leadership skills.
Professor Guilamo-Ramos, through his work in directing CLAFH, part of NYU’s Silver School, plans to develop and disseminate a teen pregnancy prevention program, specifically created for Latino and African American adolescent males, and designed to support and foster father-son communication regarding sexual activity and reproductive health. He hopes that this program will reduce unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among adolescent boys through strengthening their relationships with their fathers.