Psychology major Nayeli Almanzar Lizardo spends a lot of time thinking about how people grow and learn.
She sees those lessons through the Merrimack Valley YMCA in Lawrence, where she mentors middle school students in the same Adelante Scholars Program that helped her discover her own potential as an eighth grader.
“I didn't think leadership was meant for me,” she says.
Today, she is lead advisor for Adelante and also serves as one of just 21 members of YMCA of the USA’s National Youth Advisory Council, which advises the organization’s leadership on emerging issues and helps ensure that young people's voices shape its programs and services.
“Leadership doesn't always have to be the person with the big title,” she says. “We're all leaders in our own way.”
That philosophy has shaped Almanzar Lizardo’s college experience.
After graduating from Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School in Lawrence, she enrolled at Northern Essex Community College before transferring to UMass Lowell through the MassTransfer program. She chose UML because she wanted the opportunities of a national research university while remaining close to the Lawrence community she serves.
An Honors College student with a business minor, Almanzar Lizardo has intentionally connected her education with her work in youth development. She earned the River Hawk Experience Distinction in Community Engagement and is completing a directed independent study focused on youth engagement and community connection.
Although she isn’t a business major, Almanzar Lizardo serves as co-president of the International Business Association, one of the Manning School of Business’s largest student organizations.
"The times that I've done scary things are when I had the best outcomes,” she says.
That willingness to embrace new opportunities has led to recognition beyond campus. During the summer before her senior year at UML, Almanzar Lizardo was selected for Harvard Business School’s Summer Venture in Management Program, joining 180 undergraduates chosen from more than 3,000 applicants for the immersive leadership experience. She has also earned scholarships from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and the AltaMar Foundation, recognizing her leadership, civic engagement and commitment to serving others.
As the daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic who never had the opportunity to attend college, Almanzar Lizardo says every milestone reflects the sacrifices her parents made to support her education. When she graduated from Northern Essex, she handed them her diploma.
“This diploma is not mine,” she told them. “It's yours.”
Now considering graduate study in public administration, organizational leadership, psychology or business, Almanzar Lizardo hopes to continue creating opportunities for young people.
“All it took was one person believing in me,” she says.