Miami Nice

A GAP YEAR WORKING WITH UNDER-RESOURCED students in Miami before her senior year at Dartmouth set Cespedes on the path to philanthropy. Now, as project manager at the nonprofit Confucius Institute, she expands study abroad opportunities in higher education for under- represented communities. “Philanthropy is about bringing like-minded people to a common purpose to achieve greater things than we could individually,” says the philosophy major. “I measure success in giving resources to commu- nities that have not had access to opportunities before.” In a typical day Cespedes will connect Confucius students with job opportunities, tap contacts for new partnerships, manage budgets and advise students on course selections.

Although she cites the constant battle for funding as a downside of working for nonprofits, she’s never considered doing anything else. “This work is about creating for others the opportunities that were given to me,” says Cespedes, who attended middle and high school in Miami as a Peruvian international student. “I came to Miami to give back to the community that had given me so much during my college pre- paratory years.” Recognized as a 2014 “Miami Change Maker” by the Ashoka Foundation’s 30 Days of Change Initiative, she also serves on the steering committee of Philanthrofest, the state’s largest community engagement fair to connect volunteers, donors and organizations. “When people and organizations work in collaboration,” she says, “there’s the potential for great things.”

Cespedes was part of the first generation in her family to attend college.