Favorite artist (Author) R.F. Kuang author of Babel, Yellowface, and The Poppy War Trilogy
Who in the world – dead or alive – inspires you? And why? Dolly Parton: Not only is she a wonderful artist and Singer, Dolly has also fought to improve literacy rates in her home state and further education in children with her Imagination Library and Dollywood Foundation. Additionally, Dolly implemented a program of assigning buddies from 8th-12 grades to encourage students to stay in school and graduate with their high school diplomas. Her foundation and Imagination Library have inspired countless to learn to read, improve their literacy, and graduate from high school– Dolly inspires me because she looked at a major problem plaguing her community and family and tackled it head on. She inspires me to truly invest and give back to the community that has given me so much.
What’s the most exciting part of your current job role? Seeing former “nonreaders” and “students that don’t like to read” become readers over the course of a year. I am a firm believe that everyone can and will enjoy reading an appropriate book inspired by their interests and hobbies– they maybe just need help finding a good fit. I love curating a classroom library that students can see themselves reflected in. The best part of my job is when I see students fully invest in the library and discover that they ARE readers– they just haven’t been reading the right books for them.
