system. In 1970, she established the Universidad Boricua, which is now known as Boricua College (with three campuses in NYC) and the Puerto Rican Research and Resources Center in Washington, D.C. In 1973, she earned her Ph.D. from Union Graduate School in Ohio. She joined the faculty of the San Diego State University's School of Social Work in 1978, where she became the Director of the Undergraduate Program in Social Work. Later, she would become the co-founder of the Graduate School for Community Development, a private free-standing educational institution. This school taught community development, economic development and leadership skills to people in communities around the United States and Puerto Rico. In 1972, ASPIRA of New York, under the direction of Dr. Mario Anglada and with the support of Dr. Pantoja, filed a civil rights lawsuit in the Federal court demanding that New York City provide classroom instruction in transitional Spanish for struggling Latino students. ASPIRA signed a consent decree with the NYC Board of Education in 1974, which is considered a major landmark in the history of bilingual education in the United States. Although Dr. Pantoja is credited with bringing this landmark lawsuit, she was actually no longer with ASPIRA at the time and was not directly involved. Awards and recognitions Among Pantoja's numerous awards and recognitions are the following: Inducted into the Hunter College Hall of Fame The Hispanic Heritage Award The Julia de Burgos Award of la Casa Cultural of Yale University A Doctor of Letters Honorary degree from the University of Connecticut A Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Massachusetts Amherst A Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Puerto Rico The Hunter College Professional Achievement Award The Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Board of Regents In 1996, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first Puerto Rican woman to receive such this honor. In 2012, she was inducted into the Legacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBT history and people. In 2015, she was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the 2015 LGBT History Month. Later years After 1984, Pantoja moved to Puerto Rico for health reasons, where she established Producir, an organization which provides economic assistance to small businesses, and Provivienda, which works to develop housing for the needy. In 1998 she returned to New York, concluding that she