Flora Mendoza awarded prestigious fellowship
MILFORD — Milford native Flora Mendoza has been selected by the top-ranked Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University as the recipient of a prestigious Lisa Goldberg Fellowship.
The Lisa Goldberg Fellowship was created by NYU Wagner in the name of the former celebrated president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation and wife of John Sexton, the president of New York University. The Fellowship honors Goldberg's legacy as a dynamic force in the world of philanthropy, the Jewish community, and public service.
"Public" is, in fact, a common theme in Mendoza's multi-faceted career — that is, public affairs, public health, and public art. She attended Yale University as an undergraduate and earned a certificate from NYU Tisch's Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics.
Having crisscrossed the globe as an educator, student, and artist, Mendoza, 26, an accomplished singer and actor, views the creative arts as a tool with which to engage and organize many kinds of audiences. She now lives in New York City. She works for Global Strategy Group, a public affairs, communications and research firm.
She has served in many different advocacy roles, including as director of a multicultural public health initiative with DKMS Americas, the world’s largest bone marrow donor center.
Mendoza is passionate about trans-national social policy and development, and issues that affect immigrant and under-served communities.
She will attend the NYU Wagner public policy school starting in the fall, working toward a Master's in Public Administration, or MPA.
"Flora will be a valuable addition to the incoming class at NYU Wagner," said Tyra Liebmann, co-interim dean and associate dean of student affairs for the school. "Her international perspective and vast experience in public service has honed her commitment to promoting human rights, diversity, and active citizenship."
Mendoza will be one of two incoming Lisa Goldberg Fellows at the graduate school in 2013-14.