Dedication to community building realized at UB

Rosaura Romero qualifies for what might be called a True Blue trifecta: She’s a proud UB alum, who’s also a UB grad student (set to graduate this spring), who also kicked off her career at UB.

And within those affiliations are a whole world of experiences that she says have helped shape who she is and what she does.

From her involvement with the Black Student Union and the Latina-based sorority Sigma Lambda Upsilon Inc., to roles as a peer coach for first-year students and a community adviser for the Psychological Services Center, to an appointment at the UB Regional Institute, Romero has made good on the ample opportunities she’s been presented. She’s also been a resident adviser, a teaching assistant and a research assistant.

“I think the first thing that UB did to help me achieve my personal goals was to expose me to things that I didn’t know were going to be a part of my journey,” says Romero, who grew up in Harlem.

While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, which she earned in 2019, she had plans to be a therapist. But then the master’s program in social work that she’s now finishing led her to the realization that her interests extend beyond the individual.

“I definitely want to stay doing work at the community level,” Romero says. “I really found a passion for it through my classes and through my work with UBRI.”

That position placed her within a public-private partnership known as East Side Avenues, which supports transformational projects along four commercial corridors on Buffalo’s East Side. Romero’s role was to facilitate a commercial real estate training program designed to fight both urban blight and gentrification. Hosting the program’s first in-person graduation ceremony reigns as one of her most memorable experiences.

“I was really proud of the cohort’s accomplishments and excited to be a part of their success,” she says.

“But really what makes me most proud is the amount of work that’s being done. There are so many initiatives and projects out there helping not only Buffalo, but the whole region of Western New York.

“And getting to be a part of it, to see it actually happening — it’s a ‘pinch me’ feeling.”