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Rosalind
Blanco
Cook
RTA
Public
Relations
Specialist
Associate
of
General
Studies
Degree,
1990
When
Rosalind
Blanco
Cook
enrolled
at
Delgado
in 1986
she
didn’t
realize
that she
was
taking
the
first
step in
a
dramatic
life-changing
process.
Nearly
twenty
years
ago,
Cook was
a
divorced
mother
of three
earning
a living
as a
hairdresser
who
wanted
to make
some
changes
in her
life.
“I heard
Delgado’s
television
commercial
that
registration
was
still
going
on, so I
enrolled
in a few
general
education
courses.
All of
my
instructors
helped
me with
my
studies
and to
get my
life
together.
At first
it was
not easy
attending
school
with
three
babies
and
continuing
to work.
I took
classes
early or
late in
the
evening,
and I
had to
arrange
for
baby-sitting.
I
quickly
learned
about
the Pell
Grant
opportunities
available
for
those
who
qualify,
so I was
able to
continue
my
education,”
said
Cook.
As she
took
more
classes,
Rosalind
began to
realize
that she
wanted
to
strive
toward
earning
her
associate
degree.
“After
taking
an
American
Government
class, I
knew
that I
wanted
to study
political
science,”
she
said.
“In
addition,
I became
a
work-study
student
in the
Marketing
and
Information
Services
Office
and I
learned
how to
write
press
releases
and
media
advisories
and how
to
communicate
with the
public.
I
utilized
those
skills
when I
was a
communications
specialist
in the
Mayor’s
Office
during
the
1990s.”
After
Rosalind
earned
her
associate
degree
from
Delgado,
she
transferred
to UNO
and
earned a
scholarship
to
continue
her
education
and earn
her
bachelor’s
degree
in
political
science
in 1996.
Two
years
later,
she
earned a
Master’s
degree.
Rosalind
has
combined
practical
and
academic
politics,
serving
in the
Communications
Department
of New
Orleans
former
Mayor
Marc
Morial
and
working
as a
media
specialist
during
the
initial
ten
months
of Mayor
C. Ray
Nagin’s
first
term.
Cook,
who
currently
is the
spokesperson
for the
New
Orleans
Regional
Transit
Authority
(RTA),
has
taught
American
Government,
Urban
Politics,
and
Political
Science
Research
Methods
classes
at
Xavier
University,
University
of New
Orleans
and
Dillard
University.
As
spokesperson
for the
RTA,
Rosalind’s
role is
to
provide
information
through
communication
plans
and
messages,
coordinate
news
media
relations,
and
provide
responses
to media
requests
for
information
on
issues
and
policies.
This
included
working
very
closely
with
city
officials
to
formulate
a plan
that
would
help
evacuate
local
residents
to the
Superdome
prior to
Hurricane
Katrina.
“Delgado
truly
changed
my life
for the
better.
Delgado
started
me on my
career
as a
life-long
learner
and gave
me the
foundation
that I
needed
to
continue
my
education
and work
toward
my
doctorate.”
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