WASHINGTON, DC, August 30, 2021 — Arnold & Porter and the Advancement Project National Office announced today that Noelia Rivera-Calderón has been selected as the Right to Education Fellowship. The Advancement Project National Office's Arnold & Porter Right to Education Fellowship is part of a three-year partnership between Arnold & Porter and the Advancement Project National Office that was announced on December 17, 2020. The partnership supports programs designed to address systemic inequalities in the United States education system.
"We are thrilled to have Noelia joining our team to launch this important work in partnership with Arnold & Porter. Her clear dedication to students of color throughout their career make them just the right person to tackle systemic racism in our schools," said Judith Browne Dianis, Advancement Project National Office executive director. "We take on this work with a deep sense of responsibility, following the loss of civil rights and movement leader Bob Moses this summer. Bob led efforts to establish quality education as a constitutional right, and pushed our team to be bold in taking on the hard work to ensure education justice. We carry on this work in his honor."
Rivera-Calderón begins her Advancement Project National Office's Arnold & Porter Right to Education Fellowship as students across America are returning to fully-in person schooling for the first time since early 2020. Even before COVID-19, systemic racism in our schools disproportionately impacted students of color and low-income students. These disparities in opportunity have expanded during the pandemic.
Rivera-Calderón has dedicated her career to protecting and advancing the rights and opportunities of students of color – first as an educator and now as an attorney. Rivera-Calderón served as a fellow at the National Women's Law Center, working directly with young people to conduct research, produce reports and advocate for the resources they need in their schools – including mental health resources for Latina students and supports for LGBTQ youth. Rivera-Calderón attended Temple University and completed a clerkship with the Honorable Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro in Philadelphia.
Advancement Project National Office has been dedicated to strengthening social movements and achieving high-impact policy change for more than two decades. Since its inception, Advancement Project has worked with grassroots organizations to pursue educational equity. In addition to providing pro bono support to the Project's legal advocacy, the Arnold & Porter Foundation is funding a full-time staff attorney position focused on educational civil rights.
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