Gina Perryman is a Florida native who has lived in Durham for the last 12 years with her husband and two sons, ages 9 and 11. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years before returning to school in her late thirties to complete a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies in 2014 from UNC-Chapel Hill. She now works as an Instructional Assistant in Spanish Literacy in the Dual-Immersion Program at Southwest Elementary School in Durham (a program both her children participated in) and plans to pursue a master’s in social work.
Gina learned about InStepp in the spring of 2013 while working as an intern with Project FIGHT, an anti-human trafficking program of the Salvation Army of Wake County. She attended the 3rd International Women’s Day Conference hosted by InStepp, where she met Martha Morales, director of InStepp’s cultural programs. She began volunteering last fall, working along side Martha. Gina loves working with the Latino community, and is inspired by the selfless work of Martha, InStepp Founder Gilda Womble, and other InStepp volunteers. Gina has a wealth of community service experience, including work with the Durham Public Schools, the Samaritan Health Clinic, the Religious Coalition for Non-Violent Durham, the Durham Public Library, El Centro Hispano, the Red Cross, and World Relief.
For others considering volunteering at InStepp, she offers this advice: “Come willing to help and learn. You will not be disappointed.”