“Read Alliance brings two passions of mine together: developing reading skills for the little ones, and opening career paths and opportunities for the teens by giving them real work experience and meaningful responsibilities.” ”
The Magic Model
Read Alliance's dual-impact model is magical because of the interaction between the teens and the little people who adore them. When you walk into a READ classroom at the start of the program, the younger kids may be making noise or running around, but then it gets very quiet and the work begins. The little kids want to do a good job and make their teen leaders proud! In addition to increasing their appreciation for reading and their ability read, the engagement with their teen leaders shows the children that they are important and capable, allowing them to move forward powerfully. That is the magic interaction that occurs between the teen, the child, and the book.
I have worked at a variety of institutions—NYU, Princeton, Hunter College—and at each place I kept finding that students faced the same stumbling blocks. I decided to write the book I CAN Finish College: The Overcome Any Obstacle and Get Your Degree Guide to really address the questions that I, as a Dean, kept hearing from my students.
The work experience young people get from teen leadership at Read Alliance better prepares them to persist to and through college. Bringing my higher education perspective to the READ Board allows me to share my knowledge of teens, their mindset, and the preparation they are going to need as they move towards higher education.
Joining Read Alliance
My career since the ‘90s has been in higher education and involved working with young people to help them pave the way for their future. Read Alliance brings two passions of mine together: developing reading skills for the little ones, and opening career paths and opportunities for the teens by giving them real work experience and meaningful responsibilities.
A Love of Reading
For as long as I can remember, my parents made sure that I always had books and that I was always reading. We moved a lot, so books were my world. They were my escape and still are. Literacy was a life-changing skill for me. It taught me about what I could become and how I could expand my life, my vision, and my horizons in ways I could not imagine. It is a wonderful thing to bring these possibilities to a child.