Nathan Rothstein graduated with an honors degree in History from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst...

Nathan Rothstein graduated with an honors degree in History from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2006. During college, he spent time organizing Alternative Spring Break Programs to New York City and Atlanta, volunteering for different political campaigns, and teaching in the Cambridge, MA summer schools. During his senior year, he spent his spring break doing disaster relief work in Gulfport, MS, which first exposed him to the devastation of the Gulf Coast. Inspired by the determination of people in the area to rebuild their homes, Mr. Rothstein decided to become an Americorps volunteer and came to live in New Orleans and join the rebuilding effort. He spent the following 10 months serving for a non-profit relief organization in New Orleans' statistically poorest neighborhood, Tulane/Gravier, gutting homes, landscaping public areas, raising money for homeowners and recruiting volunteers. During his term, he facilitated discussions and workshops with many university service programs who had come to volunteer in the city. The sessions explored the challenges facing the city and how the volunteers could help in various ways. While attending many Unified New Orleans Plan meetings, and speaking to dozens of residents, he witnessed a community that was eager for social change, but needed a way to mobilize people to work together. To support the renewal of New Orleans, he is dedicated to helping young professionals (everyone who works) find ways to connect with each other and find the resources they need to stay in the city. The NOLA YURP Initiative is about connecting, retaining and attracting the city's young workforce, but also an example of many different communities working together to solve a problem.

Hide Text