Claudia Saavedra

Claudia moved from Chile at a young age and grew up in the small town of Hopatcong, New Jersey. Claudia and her family moved to the United States in hopes of a better life to achieve the American Dream in the land of opportunities. Her parents always instilled in her and her two siblings, their belief in education being the key to success and a way out of poverty. In 2018, she graduated with her bachelor’s in public administration, summa cum laude, and ranked third in her graduating class. In 2020, she graduated top of her class with her Master’s in Public Administration with her research focusing on best practices in Title I funded school systems reduction in chronic absenteeism. Her personal experience of coming from poverty, first-generation American and a first-generation college student inspire her to provide economic opportunities to communities worldwide. Claudia Saavedra participated in the 2017-2018 AYLF Newark cohort and is now in the alumni phase of the fellowship program.