National Leadership Program, Summer 2018
Rachael Walloga was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. Walloga’s work as a translator for Compass Regional Hospice in Centreville, Maryland led her to meet older adults who developed disabilities later in life and were dealing with a language barrier in relation to their care. For this reason, she decided to be an Fellow at RespectAbility.
Here, Walloga is working with everyone at the organization to develop a skills toolkit that outlines a comprehensive list of disabilities, their descriptions and suggestions for caregivers in both English and Spanish. As her previous advocacy work was focused on promoting LGBTQ rights and those of the Hispanic community, Walloga was hoping to learn and to develop more intersectionality in her professional and private life during her summer Fellowship.
At Washington College, located in the historical village of Chestertown, Maryland, Walloga is entering her senior year. She is a double major in International Studies and Spanish, as well as a French minor. Outside of class, she holds office as the Vice President of a Spanish language theater club, Grupo Cambalache, and works part-time at the university gym. After spending the spring semester of her sophomore year in Madrid, Spain always will hold a special place in her heart.
In her private life, Walloga loves to read, study language and paint. Currently, Walloga is reading Harry Potter’s first book in French (L’école des Sorciers). She also is reading Aunque Seamos Malditas (Although We Are Cursed), which is a fictional story about the first woman to win a sexual assault case in Spain and how her experiences of persecution compare to those of her ancestor, who was burned as a witch during the Inquisition.
Outside of Spanish and French, Walloga feeds her Duolingo addiction with Portuguese, Gaelic and Polish. Duolingo is her favorite app for her phone because it lets her do language exercises on the go or during her commute. When she has the time, she loves to paint simple nature scenes and abstract work with acrylics to de-stress.
Walloga wrote one piece during the Summer 2018 Fellowship. Check it out on our website:
- Richard Phillips Teaches RespectAbility Fellows about Leadership (July 25, 2018)