Lawrence alum Wiralba Pichardo plans for a career in education policy and community impact

Wiralba Pichardo is a senior at Grinnell College where she is studying Political Science with a minor in Education. She will be graduating in the Spring of 2025.

Wiralba is a graduate of Abbott Lawrence Academy, class of 2021, where she took Early College classes at Merrimack College. Looking back at her experience as an Early College student, Wiralba reflects on all the ways Early College positively impacted her academic career, including ultimately making the decision to major in Political Science. Wiralba shared that she went into Early College certain she would be a Biology major, but that changed when she took her first Early College class – Political Science.

“Early College molded me into who I am as a college student. The Early College classes I took introduced me to a career I had not thought of before. I didn’t think of political science as a potential major for myself. I’m grateful Early College helped me learn about other majors. I had a positive Early College experience and it helped me with the transition to college full time.”

Once Wiralba matriculated to Grinnell College as a full-time student, she applied for the Early College Policy Fellowship and became part of the inaugural Fellowship cohort led by the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College. As a political science major, Wiralba was sure she had an interest in policy and believed the Fellowship would strengthen her skills and move her towards her goal of working alongside senators and governors. Through the experience, Wiralba discovered her passion for education and education policy.

“The Early College Policy Fellowship introduced me to the education nonprofit and policy world and helped me discover my interest in education and education policy. I’m a political science major and I just added a minor in education. The Fellowship was also my first introduction to a different style of professional writing, which ultimately helped me develop my skills in grant writing. I enjoy writing grants because I get to tell a story and highlight the organizations I work for. I’ve been able to apply these skills to other jobs.”

Since completing the Fellowship in the spring of 2022, Wiralba has gone on to work with her community in a number of different ways, most recently working with the Youth Development Organization in Lawrence and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Wiralba also recently studied abroad in Barcelona where she took courses focused on political science, education and history. Wiralba is passionate about giving back to her community and enjoys working in the nonprofit and education policy sector.

“This summer I worked with YDO and DESE. I really wanted to feel like when I’m working, there’s a purpose. Giving back to my community is something I really value, especially when thinking about college access. That is something I really value; helping students see more for themselves. Early College had a positive impact on students enrolling in college and staying in college. I saw a lot of students in my community get their associate degree and launch from there. We want students to not just start but finish college.”