About:
Dra. Antonia Pantoja was born in San
Juan, Puerto Rico in 1922 and studied at the University
of Puerto Rico where she obtained a Normal School Diploma
in 1942. Upon graduating from the University of Puerto Rico,
she worked as a schoolteacher for two years in Puerto Rico
where she cultivated a profound interest in education and
addressing the needs of disadvantaged children.
Her
most notable contribution - the creation of ASPIRA - in
1961 was the result of considerable hard work and collaboration
with educators and social work professionals who shared
her concern” with the high dropout rate of Puerto
Rican youth in New York City during the ‘50s and ‘60s.
The organization flourished into a major national organization
dedicated to empowering communities and especially Puerto
Rican youth to have a say in and control of their future.
(Read
more about Dr.
Antonia Pantoja)
