Joseph Orlando Prewitt Díaz (born November 23, 1943) is a retired psychologist who specialized in psychosocial theory. He received the APA International Humanitarian Award from American Psychological Association
Early years Prewitt Díaz was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico. In 1964 he represented Puerto Rico in the Encampment for Citizenship a summer youth program that encouraged volunteerism and sought to educate its participants about civic responsibility, and participation in government.Cabrera, A.R. (February 23, 1965). Juventud Internacional participa en Campamento de la Ciudadanía. Suplemento Sabatino, El Mundo, Periódico de Puerto Rico Upon his return to Cayey, he joined Rev. Peter L. Pond, a theologist and community organizer andSamuel Silva Gotay Dr. Samuel Silva Gotay, a liberation theologist in the development of VESPRA "Voluntarios en Servicio a Puerto Rico".[Silva Gotay, S. (2010). Que Tiene Que Ver Cayey Con India, Claridad. 51,3001, p.30] He served as the training coordinator and outward bound instructorLawson, D.H. (March 3, 1967). An evaluation of training procedures of Voluntarios en Servicio a Puerto Rico Asociados (VESPRA). Washington, D.C.
Civil Air Patrol As a child he loved to fly. While in the Benjamin Harrison School in Cayey, P.R. his favorite class was aeronautics and as a result he joined the Civil Air Patrol (1956–1959). By the age of 15 he had soloed in a Piper Cub. His dream of flying "low and slow" was put on the back burner until 1988 when he rejoined the Pennsylvania Wing.(Personnel Record, Civil Air Patrol, 2010) He served the organization until 2000. He served as Squadron Commander, Red Cross Liaison, and Legislative Affairs Officer for the Pennsylvania Wing and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. During that period of time he went back to flying and achieved the Aeronautical Rating of Master Observer. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal for his services.
Education Prewitt Díaz completed his undergraduate studies and graduate studies in psychology and counseling psychology at the University of Puerto Rico. He completed two additional graduate degrees in the United States: educational psychology at Trinity College, and Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction at Neumann College. He received his PhD degree from the University of Connecticut and pursued Post Doctoral studies at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland.
Fellowships The World Education Fellowship 1975–1978 allowed him to study language development and cultural adjustment of Puerto Rican children in Connecticut. As a recipient of a W. K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellowship,W.K. Kellogg National Fellowship he visited Brazil, Argentina and Mexico exploring the role of community health in improving the quality of life of resource-poor communities. A Woodrow Wilson Hispanic Fellowship resulted in the first draft of a 1994 book entitled The Psychology of Puerto Rican Migration, an ethnographic study.
Hartford, Connecticut (1972–1979)
Bilingual Teacher Corps Project
He arrived in Hartford, Connecticut on December 26, 1972. He was invited to work as the In-Service Coordinator for the Teacher Corps program at the University of Hartford under the direction of Dr. Perry Zirkel. He had received a one-semester leave of absence from the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey; that was extended until August 1973. To become an In-service Coordinator for these potential teachers two things were necessary: (1) a curriculum that focused on the beginning and evolution of the Puerto Rican community in Hartford,These modules can be found at the University of Connecticut Library-People of Connecticut Section, Stoors, CT and (2) exposure to professional Puerto Ricans who served as role models for these future teachers.City educators learn of Puerto Rican culture. The Hartford Courant. March 7, 1973. P. 14 During a six months period twenty-seven speakers, nine who came from Puerto Rico had the opportunity to interact with administrators, teachers, and other school personnel,Habla sobre Puerto Rico en Hartford. La Prensa Grafica. Marzo 1973La Sra. Belpre dicta charla sobre lectura infantil. La Prensa Grafica, Abril 1973.Espinoza, P.A. (May, 1973). Farandula. La Prensa Grafica. Hartford, Connecticut.
Project MAS
In July 1974, he was hired as the Acting Director of Project MAS, a special compensatory education project for limited English proficient students at Fox Elementary School, Quirk Middle School, and Hartford High School. In addition he had the additional responsibility of serving as a Bilingual School Psychologist system wide,Hartford Courant (November 23, 1974). Psychologist. p.16 As my tenure in Project MAS was coming to an end, Mr. Natividad Marques wrote a piece on the work that we had performed during that year.Marquez, N. (9 de mayo de 1975). Estampas Tipicas: Loa a un jibaro. La Prensa Grafica, p. 5.
Bulkeley High School
In October 22, 1975 he was appointed as Vice Principal at Bulkeley High School. By 1979 a team of bilingual teachers we began operating a New arrival's center for recently arrive students ages 15–18. Prof. Nestor Acevedo was the team leader of the three-person team. The goal of the program was to mainstream students. Once the student achieves in the 30th percentile of the Language Assessment Battery, they are placed in the mainstream classrooms with supportCurrent Research: Reinforcing Home Language quickens achievement. Bilingual Education Newsletter (Connecticut State Department of Education). 1(1) 6. Good things were happening in Bilingual Education.Soler, A. (June 1979). Hartford Collaborative helps Hispanic students. Bilingual Education Newsletter (Connecticut State Department of Education). 1(1) 1.
By July 18, 1979, a study on the effectiveness of Bilingual Education for Puerto Rican students was able, through scientific research, to prove that students would achieve at a greater rate in the content areas if their home language were reinforced. The study discovered that without reinforcement, so-called bilingual students lost their mastery of Spanish and achieved more slowly in both languages.Prewitt Diaz, J.O. (1979). An analysis of the effects of a bicultural curriculum on monolingual Spanish ninth graders as compared with monolingual English and bilingual ninth graders with regard to language development, attitude toward school, and self-concept. Doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut.
Academic Journey at Penn State University Dr. Prewitt Diaz was hired as an Assistant Professor in September 1979; he remained at the University for twelve years. He resigned on September 15, 1992 with the rank of Associate Professor of Education and School Psychology. His research interests mirrored the current events reported about Puerto Ricans in the United States in the popular press, and journals. He began looking at the teaching of the English language to Puerto Rican children, and transitioned into psychometrics and the Puerto Rican child.Rivera, M. (1997). An Annotated Bibliography of Published Materials on Puerto Ricans. Lansing, MI: Julian Samora Research Institute. Working Paper # 30 Among his work is the translation, linguistic and cultural adaptation of several instruments Two examples are the Coppersmith Self Esteem Inventory translation and use cultural adaptation for Puerto Rican adolescents,Prewitt Diaz, J.O. (1983). A study of self-esteem and school sentiment on two groups of Puerto Rican students. Educational and Psychological Research. 3(3), 161-167 and the translation, back translation and an interpretation of the MMPI. The composite results of these studies provided an important angle in working with Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and the United States: translation, back translation, and diverse meanings based on world views of people as seen in his research in the United States.(Prewitt Díaz, J.O., Rodríguez, M.D., & Rivera Ruiz, D. (1986). The predictive validity of the Spanish translation of the WISC-R(EIWN-R) with Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico and the children of the Puerto Rican Diaspora in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 46, 401-407. His work in exploring the linguistically applicability of Standardized test, the mechanics of developing and translating test has been used in the fields of educational psychology and psychosocial support internationally(Brinkmann, H., Segura, T., & Solar, M.I. (1989). Adaptación, estandarización y elaboración de normas para el Inventario de Autoestima de Coopersmith. Revista Chilena de Psicología 10(1), 63-71
Contributions to the Latino community in Pennsylvania His weekly long trips from State College, PA to Bethlehem, Chester, Lancaster, and York provided a laboratory for graduate students, an opportunity for parents to seek advice on how to improve the academic and psychosocial well being of their children. In 1992 he was instrumental in the development of a Mental Health Clinic in Reading, Pennsylvania, affiliated to the Spanish Speaking Center. In September 1992 he left Reading, PA to serve in Hurricane Andrew in Florida and the North Eastern storm in New Jersey.(Intelligencer Journal. "'Disaster Joe' available in times of need. April 23, 1993) He returned to Pennsylvania, this time to the Chester-Upland School District as a School Psychologist. As a result of his efforts with linguistically and behaviorally challenged children and their parents, he was awarded the 1998 Pennsylvania Education Association "Human and Civil Rights Award".
He served in the mid-1990s as a Pastor of the “El Mesías” United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, where he experienced first hand the emotional and spiritual challenges of non-English speaking people living in a large urban environment. This discernment period led him to a career change into the humanitarian assistance field with the American Red Cross International Services.
American Red Cross volunteer and paid staff
Dr. Joseph O Prewitt Diaz served as volunteer for the American Red Cross since 1976, when he organized Blood drives at Bulkeley High School, Hartford, Connecticut. He served from 1992 to 2001 as a volunteer for Disaster Services of the American Red Cross.Johnson, O. (2005). American Red Cross-Volunteer Profile. Washington, D.C.: Disaster Services Human Resources, American Red Cross
American Red Cross volunteer for Disaster Services