Growing up in a small town in western Massachusetts, Cora Hirschfeld was raised with the values of community and service. Her father, an Episcopal minister, taught the importance of service and faith in a more just world. Her mother, a public school teacher and vibrant extrovert, taught her the importance of bringing people together to do good.
Through their example, Hirschfeld was inspired to pursue a path that enabled her to serve others and contribute to the betterment of communities. In 2023, that path led her to Carolina Community Academy (CCA) — an innovative K-2 school in Roxboro, N.C., and a partnership between UNC-Chapel Hill and Person County Schools — where she strives to educate the whole child and provide critical wraparound services as the school’s social worker.
In March 2023, the UNC School of Education announced the launch of the Fellows for Inclusive Excellence program, an anonymous $3 million commitment that supports current School of Education students — student teachers and school counselors-in-training — and recent Carolina graduates to serve rural schools. Hirschfeld, who is one of the first recent grads to join the Fellows program, embraces the opportunity to contribute her skills and dedication to the enrichment of education in rural communities.
“I think that building a positive and inclusive school climate really requires leveraging the strength of all staff, and community members to meet the needs of students and families,” Hirschfeld said. “Schools in rural towns can be the catalyst and hub of community. A school like CCA has the ability to create a shared sense of belonging for families who may otherwise feel isolated.”
New beginnings, sustained community care
After graduating from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 2016, Hirschfeld worked for four years in Boston Public Schools, helping high school seniors in their post-secondary planning.
“I loved working one-on-one with students and parents,” Hirschfeld said. “It is the best setting to be able to understand a student, ask them questions, and give them all the time and space they need to feel comfortable enough to share their interests and what they want to do after high school.”
A move to North Carolina in 2020 enabled her to earn a master’s degree at the UNC School of Social Work. After graduating in spring 2023, Hirschfeld knew she wanted to bring positive change to rural communities like Person County.
“To me, social work is about joining people where they are and accompanying them through the joys and struggles of life,” Hirschfeld said.
Drawn to tight-knit rural communities after interning at a community mental health agency in Chatham County, Hirschfeld jumped at the chance to work in Person County through the Fellows for Inclusive Excellence program. Now at CCA, she starts each day by greeting students off the bus, often with the flair to make them laugh.
“I see my role as the link between school, family, and community,” Hirschfeld said. “Too often we only acknowledge the deficits of rural towns. In order to truly solve complex issues, families need other families, families need to know what assets exist in Roxboro…the churches, mental health resources, and ways to get food, housing, and childcare. That means I have a lot of listening to do so I can figure out how families can help each other in more sustainable ways. When I first started this job, I looked for resources in other places. I needed to be reminded that solutions to issues families are facing are already here. People want to help each other.”
At CCA, Hirschfeld works to further enhance the support system for students and create a nurturing environment for inclusive development and improve student outcomes.
“Working at CCA is teaching me to integrate the lessons I learned in school into real-world situations,” Hirschfeld said. “Being in class is very different from actually doing the work. In class, words and ideas are often hypothetical and idealized. Sometimes these ideas are reflections of dreams of a more just world. My faith encourages me to believe in this world, but I know change takes time. All we can do is start here and start small.”
Creating opportunities for connection
Within her work with CCA students, Hirschfeld often utilizes various methods of interventions to better connect with students to ensure their emotions are understood. Her incorporation of play into her day-to-day interaction with students works to establish connections with children and enhance their confidence and relationships with classmates.
“I am dedicated to understanding the emotional landscape of young children who may struggle to communicate their internal experiences,” Hirschfeld said. “Recognizing that their lives and family dynamics influence their perceptions and trust in others, I invest time in delving into their world. If I want to understand them, I need to get playdough or Legos and sit with them, use art, and join them at recess.”
Paired with her insights gained within social work, Hirschfeld seeks to validate students’ experiences and feelings, offering an understanding of the wisdom embedded in emotions. Through her approach, she empowers students to navigate their emotions, fostering a conducive learning environment where negative emotions are embraced as valuable insights into personal values. “This is important so they can make meaning of big feelings and move through the hard stuff.”
“I am working on understanding the emotions of young children who don’t always have the language to express what’s going on,” Hirschfeld said. “It takes time to understand their lives, their families, and how their experiences can affect their perceptions of themselves and their ability to trust others.”
Hirschfeld is working toward inclusive community building by enacting programs and initiatives that bolster collaboration and outreach within the Roxboro community. In the months ahead, she plans to launch an afterschool program that enables high school students in Roxboro to gain leadership skills and serve as mentors for CCA students. In addition, in late 2023, Hirschfeld created a monthly mother’s support group to help parents bond over common experiences while supporting their CCA student.
Drawing from her social work education and working in education planning, Hirschfeld yields a sustained optimism toward fostering a more just future for students in poverty and rural schools, driven by a steady commitment to affirm the dignity of peoples’ lives.
Hirschfeld wants every student at Carolina Community Academy to feel welcomed and celebrated at school. She aims for students to perceive school as their place.
“I am where I want to be,” Hirschfeld said. “I am here to better accompany families and children. If I get positive feedback from them – that families feel supported and have a sense of community, that children are progressing academically, gaining social-emotional skills, that students can be unapologetically themselves and are becoming aware of the wider world and the needs of people within it – only then am I doing my job.”