Prior to joining the National Urban Fellows, Ms. Batista was the Social Services Coordinator at New Immigrant Community Empowerment in her hometown of Jackson Heights, New York.  In her role as the Social Services Coordinator in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the nation, Ms. Batista developed programming and monthly educational workshops, recruited and trained ESOL

Prior to his selection as a 2011 Fellow, David Brezler had spent the year interpreting in Medical and Legal settings. An extension of his responsibilities from the previous 12 years as a teacher, working as a linguist cemented his dedication to increasing language access in the larger community.

As both a certified secondary teacher and Adjunct Professor, he actively sought to