"One of the things that happened to me when I first came to Worcester is that I began to realize that even though it was a city, it functions a lot like a small town and that the neighborhoods are really important because each neighborhood is very different. I know that the neighborhoods are very different and they have a unique strength that they bring to the city. That I value quite a bit. But the other thing that I found out about Worcester pretty quickly is that you can make a dent. It is easy to make a difference in Worcester."
Suzanne Buglione was born in 1959 in Methuen, Massachusetts. She moved to Worcester to attend college, and graduated from Worcester State College with a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Science and a Master’s Degree in Education. She currently lives on Oak Hill, and is working toward her Doctorate in Education at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. In addition to running her own company, Community Building, which provides training and consultancy services to local non-profits, Suzanne also teaches part-time at Worcester State College and UMass Amherst. In this interview, Suzanne speaks about her work in the community, both through her company and as a community volunteer, and the importance of building connections among people and among neighborhoods. She describes the changes she has witnessed since her move to Worcester in 1981, including a positive sense of growth and development in the downtown area. Suzanne acknowledges the many problems that Worcester faces, but speaks with a sense of hope about what needs to be done to help fight poverty, empower women, and continue cleaning up the city.