Staff Bios
Joise Garzon, MSW, LICSW
Director
jgarzon@ric.edu
Joise’s experience growing up in Centrals Falls, RI motivated her to become a social worker. She earned her BSW and MSW degrees at Rhode Island College where she learned about the power of therapeutic relationships, advocacy, social justice, and empowerment. After graduating, Joise focused on providing trauma informed therapeutic services to adolescent boys with behavioral difficulties. She also worked in an outpatient counseling center providing clinical services to children, families, and couples. Joise found her way back to RIC when an opportunity opened up at L4L, where she once worked as a Navigator. Since joining the L4L team, Joise has been working to spread the word about the services L4L provides, collaborating with other offices to help support students, and making connections with community resources for students. While at work, Joise enjoys connecting with students and hearing their story. When she is not working, Joise enjoys listening to and dancing salsa vieja, soaking up some vitamin D at the beach, managing her love/ hate relationship with running, and spending time with family and friends.
LaTanya Monteiro
Educational Support Coordinator
lmonteiro@ric.edu
As a Preparatory Enrollment Program and Rhode Island College Alumna, she returned to her Alma Mater as part of the Learning for Life staff with the purpose of working with students much like herself as a first generation college student. LaTanya has initiated and cultivated relationships with school districts as a way to help students become aware of the supports that are available in the community and at the college level. She also works with the Central Falls School District in the RIC/Central Falls Innovation Lab, a unique PK-20 collaboration. This unique, collaboration has the potential to provide a PK-12 and post-secondary urban education model that offers a new paradigm for state and national replication. When I’m not working I love to watch football, dabble in photography, spend time with my family and friends and go dancing when I have the time. In the summer, you can find me in the ocean riding the waves.
For information on Learning for Life Navigators
click here.
