Risk and Prevention

Alumni & Careers

Kathy Rho
Ed.M. 2006

Kathy Rho is a Program Manager at the Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp) in Boston.  She currently works on a statewide initiative focused on the delivery of quality education, employability and transition services to youth in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS).  Her work focuses predominantly on professional development for DYS teachers including supporting culturally responsive teacher training.  In addition, she will be focusing on developing a mentorship program for DYS youth as they transition back to their home communities and is currently overseeing the creation and management of the DYS Instructional Guides, which are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and tailored to the unique needs of teaching in a juvenile justice setting.   

Before attending Harvard, Kathy taught high school science in Houston, Texas, for seven years.  She credits the Risk and Prevention program with helping to connect the work she did as a teacher with the transitional service work she currently does on behalf of DYS.  The coursework helped to deepen her understanding of the socio-emotional strengths and needs of youth as they relate to academic performance.  The core course, practicum class, and the research experience provided valuable insight into program development work, the connection between research and practice, and school and community collaborations.  In addition, coursework at HGSE reinforced her interest in Asian American acculturation and mental health issues on which she has presented at the HGSE Student Research Conference (2007) and has co-authored a chapter entitled “Clinical considerations when working with Asian American children and adolescents” in The Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families (to be published December 2008 by Humana Press).