An author of books on developing leadership among Hispanic women and on the experience of Puerto Ricans in New Jersey, Bonilla-Santiago has designed cultural diversity curricula for colleges, corporations, and even the IRS. As director of the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership at Rutgers in Camden, she developed one of the first charter schools in the state—LEAP (Leadership, Education And Partnership) Academy, which opened in 1997. With 800 students enrolled in grades pre-K through 12, LEAP, in Camden, is the largest charter school in the state. Bonilla-Santiago calls LEAP “my baby,” and is proud of the institution’s 100 percent college placement rate.
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