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Urban Bush Women 2012 Summer Leadership Institute Application Worksheet

This is a worksheet to help you prepare your answers prior to filling out the online application. Please take the time to fully write out your responses to make it easier to paste your answers into the online application. You will receive the link to the online application after submitting your application fee of $35.
In addition to completing be sure to email your resume and a photo to sli@urbanbushwomen.org. The subject of your email must be in the following format: o 2012 SLI Application FirstName_LastName Photo size should be no more than 100KB. Save photo as: o FirstName_LastName_Photo.jpeg Resume should be in .pdf format and no more than 2 pages. Save resume save as: o FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf (send as a pdf)

Please add sli@urbanbushwomen.org to your email address contacts. We do the majority of our correspondence through email, so adding us to your contact list will prevent a delay in communication due to spam blockers. First Name Last Name Email Website Phone Cell Fax Address 1 Address 2 City State Zip/Postal Country Rominna Villasenor Rominna.villasenor@teachforamerica.org N/A 773 742 0228 773 742 0228 312 254 1015 attn: Rominna 300 W. Adams St. Suite 1000 Chicago Illinois 60606 United States

How Did You Hear About The Urban Bush Womens Summer Leadership Institute (SLI)?

My mentors: Vanessa DeGuia and Kelly Zen Tsai were in the program. My friend Patricia Nguyen was also a participant. All of them spoke highly of SLI and elaborated on how this is truly life changing.
Do You Live In Or Attend School In Louisiana? No Birthday Age Gender July 13, 1986 25 Female

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Financial Assistance
Are You Applying For Financial Assistance? Yes If You Are Applying For Financial Assistance Please Check Your Area Of Interest. Tuition Scholarship If You Are Applying For Financial Statement, Please Write A Statement Discussing Your Financial Need and Your Skills Maximum 300 Words I am thankful to have the opportunity to apply to Urban Bush Womens Summer Leadership Institute. Due to my financial constraints in working for an educational nonprofit organization, financial obligations to my family, costs of graduate school applications, and my own bills and living expenses, I will need to apply for financial aid. Since I am currently unable to afford the cost for the registration, flight, and lodging for SLI, I will be using my professional development budget from Teach For America to alleviate some of the costs. However, since this is a small stipend, I will need to find a way to reduce the total amount. As far as skills and network, I would love to share the following: - Outreach I am currently managing all of our external and internal communications. I would love to provide an extra avenue for UBW to publicize upcoming opportunities through our newsletter and share this with our community partner organizations as well. I also have access to our official Facebook and Twitter accounts and will be able to spread awareness this way. I can also assist in outreach before and after the SLI program. - Proficiency in Microsoft platforms I work heavily with Microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint. I can provide assistance in any of these areas.

Housing & Biography

I Plan To Stay In SLI Housing On Tulanes Campus. Yes Please Indicate Your Housing Preference Single $470 for 10 days Do You Require Assistance Traveling Between Class Locations On Campus? (Estimated 5 - 15 Minute Walks) No Biography Maximum 100 Words

Rominna Villaseor is a Pilipina performance poet and visual artist. She was raised in the Philippines and has called Chicago home since 1997. Gallery 37 generated her interests in acrylics and watercolor while Young Asians With Power! fueled her passion for APIA activism through art. In 2002, Rominna was the spokesperson for the United States nonviolence initiative through writing and delivered a speech in Kuwait to commemorate its tenth year liberation. Rominna graduated from DePaul University with a Bachelors in Finance and Management, but finds that Teach For America is a more meaningful path to making a difference.

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Essay Questions
Art-Making, Community Organizing And Progressive Social Change Are Important Themes Addressed In Multiple Ways Throughout Our SLI. Please Describe Your Interest And Experience In Any Of These Areas.

Art Making I believe that collaborative and intentional art making is powerful because it allows for us to share our time, focused energies, and light. Through the process of creating art, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to be open to constructive criticism, and to open our perspectives in ways that would otherwise not have allowed us to stretch our thinking and approach. I have always coupled my work experience with art either as a second work opportunity or as a civic engagement opportunity. In the past, I have worked at Gallery 37, which is a jobs training program for youth. I was also a part of Young Asians With Power, which is a writing and performance poetry program for Asian/Asian American youth. In these two programs, I was able to cultivate two very different media for art writing and visual arts. I was also able to build and work in partnership with the other participants in the program. Currently I am a member of Artist Circle, which is a tight-knit group of artists who meet on a weekly basis. We use this time to share our current work, exercise rotating facilitator roles and responsibilities, and reflect on current events. We also use this space to inspire each other and learn about other artists who are doing incredible work locally, nationally, and globally. Community Organizing I worked with Studio Revolt, which is a collaborative media lab. I supported two artists: Anida Yoeu Ali (on a Booking Manager capacity) and Masahiro Sugano (on a Production Coordinator capacity). Our work: 1700% Project is conceived as a collaborative project utilizing art as intervention. Specifically, the 1700% Project strategically intervenes against the racial profiling and rise of violence and hate directed at Muslims in a post 9/11 era. The project challenges monolithic stereotypes of a "Muslim" identity while acknowledging the significance of historical persecution. Progressive Social Change Through my role with Teach For America as an Associate of Alumni Affairs, I was able to form partnerships with community organizations and provide a steady pipeline of committed volunteers to support on different levels. From skills sharing to providing mentors, I have designed opportunities that address the needs of organizations that will allow them to leverage our network while focusing on their mission to effect progressive social change.
If You Have Not Previously Attended An UBW SLI What Connections Within The Areas of Art-Making, Community Organizing And/Or Progressive Social Change Do You Hope To Make Or Strengthen By Attending The SLI?

Art-making My work focuses very heavily on creating opportunities for our Teach For America alumni to donate time and money. I have improved these initiatives and have expanded the breadth and depth of our campaign. I would love to be in a place where I can challenge our alumni to think creatively and tap their art-making skills and talents to improve their work in whatever field they are pursuing. Community Organizing Since I work closely with communities across the city, I would love to strengthen my skills in community organizing. Specifically, I would love to improve on: engaging in difficult conversations with a wide range of audience, experiences, and perspectives rallying community leaders to focus on actionable next steps using movement and art-making as ways to empower our communities

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Progressive Social Change I would like to strengthen my ability to: mobilize community members to act with urgency and focus approach my work and the work of others holistically thinking long term with sustainability in mind thinking long term and instilling archiving skills to preserve institutional memory

Education and Professional Development Experience*

High School Location Years Attended Graduation Date Concentration Or Degree Program Undergraduate School Location Years Attended Graduation Date Concentration Degree Program Graduate School Location Years Attended Graduation Date Concentration Degree Program St. Scholastica Academy Chicago, Illinois 4 years May, 2004 N/A DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 5 years June, 2009 Finance/Management Bachelor of Science DePaul University Chicago, IL (pending application) (pending application) Social and Cultural Foundations in Education Masters in Arts School of Education

Additional Education Or Professional Development Experiences

*We value a wide range of experiences and encourage you to use your 2-page resume to highlight your full educational and professional experiences. Please see the attached resume

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