Serving Latino Children and Families
Dr. Anarella Cellitti, an associate professor in teacher education, believes service has multiple layers.
Her first focus is on targeting areas of greatest need, beginning with the community at large. For the last five years, Dr. Cellitti has focused her service agenda on Latino children and families in Little Rock and beyond.
“Dr. Cellitti demonstrates initiative, intelligence, and creativity,” said Alisia Ramirez-Hartz, coordinator of psychological services for the Little Rock School District. “Her willingness to accept challenges and listen to the input of others enables her to contribute thoughtful, well-reasoned approaches to helping solve difficult problems.”
Dr. Cellitti bridges the gap by helping teachers and caregivers of English Language Learners better understand the Latino culture. As a board member for Welcome the Children, she assesses the professional development needs of teachers and paraprofessionals working with Latinos. She donated 40 Spanish books that were distributed by the organization.
At the university level, Dr. Cellitti joined the UA Little Rock Hispanic Heritage Committee and assisted in planning speaker presentations and panel discussions on such timely topics as the DREAM Act. As the former co-sponsor for the UA Little Rock League of United Latin American Citizens, she planned and implemented meetings with Latino students and provided mentoring. Close to her heart is the Flor Guillen scholarship, which was established for Latino students to honor her mother, who was a teacher.
At the College of Education level, her service includes serving on the Diversity Committee, which led to the college’s adoption of a Diversity Statement, and translating its undergraduate brochures and website.
Dr. Cellitti received a Ph.D. and M.E. degree in early childhood education and a M.A. degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a B.E. degree in secondary (humanities) from the Instituto Universitario Pedagogico de Caracas, Venezuela.