By Mengjiao Yu

“Hope is what we do,” said 29-year-old Andrea Costa, an office assistant of Sociedad Latina. Sociedad is a non-profit which organizes programs for local youth, from regular events to assistance with internship applications.

“We try to make them feel motivated to go to college, at least to apply,” Andrea said.

Costa finds the work both challenging and rewarding. “I think the biggest challenge here is working with the youth,” she said. “how the kids get educated and how they develop their skills [and] think about going to college.”

Costa has been working in Mission Hill for about one year. She likes to work near the church and she enjoys the community. She also expressed pride about the local facilities, such as hospitals, the Tobin Community Center and well-organized green spaces.

Neighborhood security could improve, though, according to Costa.

“Sometimes at night, it’s a little dangerous to walk by,” she said. “I think if they solve the security problem, like you know, try to limit the number of guns around the area at night, that would be better.”

Even during her brief time in the neighborhood, she has seen change. But she hopes that, through the work of Sociedad, some of that change will be positive.

“It’s gonna take time,” Costa said. “We are trying to push them to go to college, and just to get a degree, and then get a job, so they can advance their career.”

About this project

The Scope’s student journalists spoke with community members in Mission Hill. #MissionHill100 is a collection of their stories.