UAlbany Provides Top International Scholar Diverse Educational Experience

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 25, 2011) -- Paulina Berrios has been lauded for her work in her native Chile for advancing women’s equal participation in the community, civil society and government. The doctoral student at UAlbany's School of Education was recognized by the Chilean government in 2008 as being among its future leaders in guiding the country's higher educational system, where she advised officials on several projects related to women's rights.

UAlbany doctoral student Paulina Berrios

Berrios, recently named a fellow at UAlbany's Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, is now interning at the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance where she has turned her attention to the prevention of bullying and hate crimes in New York's schools. UAlbany's Educational Administration and Policy Studies (EAPS) program has provided her with the flexibility to pursue multiple interests, including researching ways to reduce instances of racial and ethnic intolerance among adolescents.

 “What I have liked most is the academic excellence of my professors, and how they are always able to take time to guide their students,” said Berrios. "At the University, there is the flexibility to arrange an academic program that suits each student’s interests. It is difficult to find this kind of flexibility in other American universities."

Berrios is equally appreciated at UAlbany. "Paulina is a serious early-career scholar, already recognized as a leader of her generation in Chile," said Alan Wagner, chair of EAPS. "That's not only been demonstrated by the awards she’s received, but also by the esteem of those with whom she has studied or worked."

Berrios' proposal to better understand the challenges of the academic profession in Chile earned her the Chilean Council for Higher Education prize for researchers in the higher education field.

Her proposal was national in scope; she interviewed 67 faculty members from seven different universities across the country. Her research showed the extent to which advanced degrees and post-Ph.D. scholarship now positively influence success and stability in academe in Chile.

Berrios wishes to return to Chile upon completion of her doctorate to advance women's equal participation in the community, civil society and government.

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