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Leah Whitney Chavez of World Speaks Omaha on How Language Access Shapes Communities

Professional photo of Leah Whitney Chavez. Leah is wearing a white shirt under a tan jacket and sitting in a white chair. She's smiling and her hands are clasped in her lap.
World Speaks Omaha
Leah Whitney Chavez is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit World Speaks Omaha.

Leah Whitney Chavez is the founder and executive director of World Speaks Omaha, a nonprofit that works to expand language access in Omaha. World Speaks offers low-cost tutoring and language classes, and translation services in more than two dozen languages to businesses and other organizations.

World Speaks is also launching the Open Doors Initiative later this year. The program is meant to provide community members whose first language isn’t English with free interpreting services to access affordable housing.

Michael Griffin is in conversation about Whitney Chavez how her multicultural childhood impacted her career trajectory, the nuts and bolts of translation services, and ways that community members can keep culture at the forefront of language education

Courtney is back in her hometown after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2019 with degrees in journalism and film. While at KU, she was the arts and culture editor of the University Daily Kansan and had a summer internship at KCUR, Kansas City's NPR member station. She has three pet rats and has seen almost every Audrey Hepburn movie.
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