Connections and Credibility

BU Medical Campus outreach director Raysa Tapia helps give Boston-area kids a boost

By Anna Webster (COM’10)

When ice hockey season starts up again and the stands are filled with cheering BU students, they’ll be joined by a surprising contingent: as part of the BU Medical Campus outreach program, free tickets will be given to children in Boston housing developments.

This is just one of many outreach programs Raysa Tapia (MET’06) is instituting as the new Med Campus director of community outreach.

Having lived in Dorchester and worked in Boston after graduating in 2006, Tapia brings to the position a knowledge of the city’s schools, organizations, and residents, as well as street credibility. As cofounder of the Lower Roxbury Coalition, Tapia helped create a network of human resources to boost the quality of life of children and their families in the lower Roxbury neighborhood.

In her new position, she hopes to forge strong links between the community and the School of Medicine, the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and the School of Public Health.

One goal is to keep children off the streets and out of trouble, using resources BU can provide. That includes homework assistance, tutoring, and resource clinics.

“I know what the needs are,” Tapia says. “It would be different if I had come from a different part of town or had a different experience. We are a community and there’s a sense of knowing the people out there.”

“It’s been a homecoming to be able to call up these people that I’ve worked with closely,” she adds. “It’s been really good to be in touch with them. We’re going to keep connections going.”

Anna Webster can be reached at annaweb@bu.edu.

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