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Who We Are
The People of URC
URC is proud of the diverse talents, disciplines, and expertise represented in our staff. Though we hail from many different countries and cultural backgrounds and work on varied projects, we share a commitment to excellence in the service we provide to our clients. We speak many languages, but all communicate the same pride in the quality of our work.
Employee Spotlight: Paula Errigo
 Paula Errigo, M.Ed., the Director of CHS’ Migrant Resource Center, comes to URC/CHS with a wealth of life and career experience drawn from her work to develop programs for state education directors and migrant educators. Paula has spent 32 years working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a variety of teaching, technical assistance, and administrative positions. While on the faculty of Millersville University, she directed a local project site for the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program. Paula has also served as a 10th grade English teacher, a high school technology coordinator, a television copywriter, a grant writer, and a partner in a firm that delivers grant writing and educational seminars.
Grogan Ullah, CHS Project Director in Pennsylvania, had this to say about Paula: “Lancaster Pennsylvania is famous for its Amish population. Although you probably won't catch Paula driving a horse and buggy to our 700 square foot office, it is here in the heart of Amish country that she provides tireless support and technical expertise to migrant educators across the country. With a lifetime of involvement in migrant education, Paula brings the dedication needed to serve the millions of children of migrant farmworker parents."
 What is your current job with URC-CHS?
I am the Director of the Migrant Education Resource Center for CHS under a five-year contract funded by the Office of Migrant Education, U. S. Department of Education. The Center has established an interactive website, developed a Peer-to-Peer Network, developed an interactive and multi-media training package for home-school liaison staff, and conducts an annual national conference.
What professional experience in your current work has given you the most personal satisfaction?
I have most enjoyed representing the work of CHS/URC to the Department of Education. What has been most satisfying, though, is our work building a training program for the local and state staff of the national Migrant Education Program that assists them and clarifies their role in their daily duties and responsibilities serving the children of migratory farmworkers.
What do you find most exciting about the MERC Project?
Most exciting has been the creation of tools to assist teachers working within the national Migrant Program to grow professionally in knowledge and skills with material and training experiences to which they readily respond. Also, the fine team which we have assembled to create this project has been a joy with which to work.
Tell us about your team
We have a team of four subcontractors, three trainers, and two support staff. Our subcontractors include Encompass, LLC, which designs and facilitates our meetings and conferences; Macro International, designers and webmaster of our interactive website; Support Services International, which provides our evaluation design and services; and the Triscari Group, designers of our training package. Our trainers are Merced Flores based in Oregon; David Gutierrez in Illinois; and Sal Arriaga in California. Together, they represent almost 100 years of experience in all levels of Migrant Education across the country! They are very good at what they do, and our training participants have all responded to them very well. The team is completed by our Project Coordinator, Mariella Queipo Colon, and our Program Assistant, Janie Mata.
How do you think your work is making a difference in schools around the country?
Through our work on the MERC Project, students across the country are being assisted in their educational achievement by linking them with the services of the National Migrant Education Program. Without accurately identifying migrant students and enrolling them in the program, they would not receive the tutorial and supplementary services that make the difference between staying in school and dropping out. For many students, these will be life-altering experiences resulting in their school completion. We are proud to contribute to this process for migrant children.
What are some of the more innovative approaches to educating children of immigrants that you would like to see more widely adopted?
The National Migrant Education Program has been at the vanguard of providing innovative approaches to the education of migrant and immigrant students for over forty years – no small achievement for a federal program! Some of those approaches warrant greater attention from the general education community: Student Leadership Institutes targeting students from middle and high school; intensive second language instruction; student-centered instruction that honors the experiences of the learner; and better portability of academic credits, to name a few. We need to recognize the strengths that these students bring to their communities and schools.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My spare time is spent traveling, reading, being active with local arts programs, and spending time with family and friends.
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