Syracuse, N.Y. – Nearly four decades ago, Theresa Pagano walked around Syracuse’s West Side, noticing a growing Spanish-speaking population.
Pagano, born and raised in Syracuse, met dozens of newcomers who didn’t speak English. The language barrier kept them away from health services, education and employment, she said.
She founded Partners in Learning, a nonprofit organization, which also led a program called MANOS for early childhood education. Eventually, Pagano launched the West Side Learning Center and continued to help adults with language and life skills…