Miguel Torres, recruitment and placement coordinator for the MSU High School Equivalency Program, was recently chosen as one of only 100 people nationwide to serve as a fellow in the newly created W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network.
Torres, the first in his family to graduate from both high school and college, earned a bachelor’s degree in family community services from MSU in 2006. He works closely with migrant and seasonal farmworker families across the state of Michigan, motivating out-of-school youth who are trying to earn their General Equivalency Diploma. He shares his life story and experiences growing up as a migrant farmworker to motivate and inspire hope in these youth and their families.
The goal of the Community Leadership Network is “to nurture and inspire developing or established leaders, helping them to become transformative change agents in their communities, guiding vulnerable children and their families toward optimal health and well-being, access to good food, academic achievement and financial security.”
The fellows will work in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans, focusing on community leadership. Additionally, 20 other fellows from across the country were selected to serve as a national cohort, focused specifically on racial healing and equity.
Through the three-year fellowship, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation hopes to create a cadre of community leaders who are able to bring diverse communities together as vigorous advocates for vulnerable children and their families. Fellows will undergo a series of leadership training sessions to develop the skills necessary for mobilizing divergent communities to take action behalf of vulnerable children and their families.